Learning to Fly With a Broken Wing
by BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: When a freak accident leaves Hinata blind, Team Karasuno is left with the aftermath. (Cross-Posted to AO3)
1. The Break

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **...**

The hospital lights were bright, reflecting against the white tile floor below. The waiting room was empty except for the anxious volleyball team, and silent save for the employee at the front desk tapping away at the computer.

Tanaka was fiddling restlessly, looking more solemn than anyone had ever seen him before. Sugawara was biting his lip so hard it was a miracle he hadn't drawn blood, and he was squeezing a fistfull of his jacket, desperately trying to look composed for the sake of the younger boys around him. Asahi was silent and still, folding his hands and bent over nearly double, so his forehead touched his knees. No one could see his face.

Nishinoya was squeezing his knees, his nails digging into his skin. He was shaking. Tsukishima sat beside Yamaguchi, occasionally looking up at the door beyond which the hospital rooms resided. Though Tsukishima's tolerance for Hinata's antics were usually below zero, he looked uncharacteristically worried. Panicked, almost. And poor Yamaguchi was white as a ghost, trembling in his seat.

And Daichi, their team captain...everyone could tell he was fighting, mentally wrestling with his composure. He was stiff, but he hid most of his panic behind a mask of assurance and worthless words.

" _He'll be okay. He's strong. Don't worry._ "

But he said it like he was asking a question.

Kageyama sat, stiffly, _painfully_ stiffly, against the back of the hard waiting room chair, beneath the bright lights. He couldn't think, couldn't grasp the full reality of the situation. _Didn't_ want to grasp the full reality of the situation.

But then again, how could he?

He remembered flashes. Things he'd much rather forget but couldn't get out of his mind. He remembered words like _"Stay with us Hinata!"_ and _"Don't close your eyes!"_ and wanted to throw up, both then and now. He remembered Sugawara calling, sounding uncharacteristically desperate, for an ambulance.

He remembered Hinata.

Silent.

Unnaturally silent.

Still.

Unnaturally still.

And it was wrong, because Hinata was _never_ silent, Hinata was _never_ still. He _shouldn't_ have been still, or silent, because that wasn't the kind of person he was. He was like pure, concentrated energy, and whenever he was in the room, everything felt just a little bit brighter.

It was wrong.

 _This situation was wrong_.

And Kageyama also remembered the blood.

The _blood_ , though…

There was just so _much_ of it. In the middle of the dark street, it appeared black, but Kageyama knew what it was.

Through it all, he couldn't do anything. He'd wanted to. He'd desperately wanted to. He'd wanted to help Sugawara contact the emergency services. He'd wanted to try and find help. He'd wanted to try and keep the rest of the team calm through the whole, chaotic ordeal. Overall, he'd wanted to go to Hinata's side and just _be there_ for him if nothing else.

But in the moment of truth, he couldn't move.

He'd been frozen in place. Around him, everyone's wheels were spinning. Chaos had erupted; hell had broken loose; and yet…

And yet…

...He hadn't moved. At all.

And now, thinking back to it, back to that panic-filled haze that was still fresh in his mind…

...He loathed himself for it.

That one moment when his teammates actually needed him for something other than setting, and yet…

...He couldn't do _anything_.

If the actual event was a haze, then the trip to the hospital was a complete white-out. Kageyama actually didn't remember how they'd gotten there; only that they had, and that now they were in the waiting room.

And Hinata was...somewhere else. Somewhere else in the bright, white, too-clean hospital getting who-knew-what done to him. Kageyama didn't know anything about the medical field, but...it didn't take a medical professional to know that this case was serious.

 _Hinata's injury was serious._

Kageyama always hated hospitals. It's not like he had a bad history with them, or anything. He just didn't like them. The bright lights, the atmosphere, that too-clean smell that stung your nose and the back of your throat, the way everyone talked, the way they acted, the depressing air that hung above like stormclouds in cue, the fact that it was full of sick people, injured people, people who might never actually live to walk out of the hospital…

 _This can't be happening._ He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut tightly and shaking his head, wishing everything - this entire situation as a whole - would disappear.

This...it had to be a nightmare. Yeah, that's right. A dream. Some sick hallucination. That was all this was.

 _Please, just be some sick hallucination…_

"Shōyō…" Nishinoya whispered, his voice cracking and quivering, and Kageyama snapped out of his daze, turning to look at his teammate. The libero didn't seem to notice, though, and he buried his face in his hands, no doubt to hide his tears for the sake of everyone else. "Please be okay."

 _No…_ Kageyama shook his head, still in denial. _This is a dream. This is just a sick, twisted nightmare. So please. Wake me up, someone, please…_

"Please don't…" Asahi's voice this time, just as cracked - if not more so - than Nishinoya's. Kageyama decided not to look at his face; he knew it would just make it hurt more.

"Don't...don't be…please just don't be gone..." Asahi was still speaking, and Kageyama wished he would stop, because the more everyone spoke, the more they pleaded, the harder it was for him to talk himself into thinking this was just a nightmare.

He buried his face in his hands, digging the heels of his palms into his eyes.

 _...End this nightmare…_

"Please come back to us…" Daichi's voice didn't crack, but it was thick and strained. Kageyama knew exactly what he was trying to do. He was trying to be strong, to be the team's foundation now just as he was on the volleyball court.

But it wasn't working.

 _...I can't take this…_

 _It's not right. It's not right. It's not right it's not right it's not right it'snotrightit'snotright-_

"C'mon, Hinata…" It was Tanaka this time, and he spoke as though Hinata were really right in front of him, his voice full of determination twinged with unspoken fear and horror. "We wouldn't be anywhere without you…"

 _End this._ Kageyama's hands slid from his face into his hair, and he yanked hard, trying to snap himself back into reality _because there was no way this hell was reality_.

 _Stop this._ He yanked again, harder this time, squeezing his eyes shut even tighter. _This isn't happening. Please, wake me up._

"Please, please, please…" Sugawara.

 _Someone wake me up. This can't be real._

"Be strong, Hinata." Daichi again.

 _Get me out of here!_

"You'd better be okay, Shrimp. You'd better be okay." Tsukishima, and his voice quivered through his clenched teeth. His fists were balled against his legs, knuckles as white as snow.

 _No. No. No. No. No._

 _If this is reality…_

 _...take it away._

 _I don't want it._

 _Wake me up._

 _Wake me up._

 _Please wake me up._

It was hours of painful silence, disturbed only by choked sobs and broken pleas, until finally...

"For Hinata Shōyō?"

Eight heads immediately snapped upwards towards the door, which was open, revealing a grim-faced doctor in a too-white, too-clean coat.

Sixteen shoes hit the white tiled floor and the team moved, as a whole, towards the doctor. Kageyama felt detached, like he was passenger instead of driver, body moving on instinct.

The doctor made eye contact with each player respectively in turn, and then looked down at his clipboard. There was something distant about his eyes, and there was a silent sorrow embedded deep into his frown.

"Your friend, Hinata…" the doctor began, his voice low, his gaze still turned away from the young men before him. "He…"

Kageyama's lungs were paralyzed. His throat was clogged by a tight, unmoving lump. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think.

"...He's alive."

A deep, unison breath was released from every single high schooler in the bright, white waiting room. Kageyama's thoughts finally cleared, and through the corner of his eye he thought he saw Nishinoya do a victory leap, much like Hinata did whenever he was particularly motivated.

Kageyama stumbled backwards and almost fell, managing to catch himself at the last second. He felt lightheaded, and the floor seemed to swirl beneath his feet. He was overwhelmed by pure, undaunted _relief._

"However…"

He froze. The doctor was still talking, and whenever a doctor said "however" after the words "He's alive," he may as well have said the world was ending.

The relief ended, and the members of the team watched the doctor, looking more worried than ever. Said doctor bit his lip - never a good sign - and looked down at his clipboard.

"There have been a few...complications."

And just like that, the flow of the entire world shifted.

…

Hinata was blind.

The reality of it was almost impossible to believe. Hinata was blind. _Blind_. There was no way of knowing if it was permanent or not, and the doctor said there was treatment and even surgeries they could do to possibly partially restore his sight (only partially and only possibly), but…

 _But Hinata was blind_.

As of now, he was blind. Blind. _Blind_. The word echoed back and forth through Kageyama's head, loudly and persistently, like the beat of a wardrum.

Hinata was blind.

The first one to speak was Tanaka after the doctor's report, and the first thing he said was what everyone else was thinking:

"When can we see him?"

It wasn't so much of a question as it was a demand. It didn't matter when or how at this point; they needed to see Hinata. They _had_ to. It wasn't a request. It was a statement. _When can we see him?_

The doctor sighed. "He's in intensive care," he said, "and he should be moved to a room in a couple of hours, but…"

"We're staying."

The words, firm, without any form of doubt whatsoever, were spoken in unison by each member of the team - Kageyama included. It was a mutual agreement they all shared, and if anyone outside that mutual agreement tried arguing, well, Karasuno would fight them, because there was no way anyone was going to get between them and their teammate.

However, this wasn't necessary, because the doctor simply nodded, told them he would let them know when they could see Hinata, and that was the end of that. They were back to anxious waiting in that crisp, clean waiting room.

And Kageyama hated it.

…

It hurt.

When the doctor returned to the waiting room at nearly two in the morning to tell the wide-awake and anxious members of the volleyball team that they could now see their friend, everyone had immediately jumped to their feet (again) and followed the doctor down the hallway, into one of last rooms.

They were finally able to see Hinata - two at a time, and quietly, as the doctor ordered.

But it hurt.

It still hurt.

It hurt _so much_ to see Hinata in such a state. His hospital room was dark. It was silent except for the beeping of a heart monitor and the dull hum of an oxygen tank. It almost physically hurt, actually, when Kageyama went in with Daichi to see their precious, irreplaceable teammate.

There was so much _wrong_ with this situation.

Hinata wasn't awake, but Kageyama hadn't really been expecting him to be, so he wasn't disappointed. Kageyama couldn't tell if he was sleeping, or if he was unconscious, or if the doctors had given him something to knock him out or whatever - maybe pain meds? - but either way, one thing was certain.

Hinata looked _bad_.

There were so many other words Kageyama could have used to describe the state of his teammate, but the most obvious - and the first one that popped into his head - was _bad_.

There were dark rings beneath Hinata's closed eyes, an oxygen mask resting over his mouth and nose and strips of thick bandages wound around his head. There was an IV prick in his arm and other wires connecting him with the heart monitor by the bedside. He was breathing, but it looked like hard work.

Kageyama swallowed back the lump in his throat and clenched his fist, his nails digging into his palm.

This shouldn't have happened.

 _This shouldn't have happened_.

Not to Hinata of all people. Not to the idiot who could literally become friends with anybody, even Kenma the introvert and Aone the giant of Date Tech - heck, even _Kageyama,_ the "King of the Court."

This shouldn't have happened. _At all_ , to _anyone_ , let alone to _Hinata_.

 _It should have been me,_ Kageyama thought, biting the inside of his cheek.

And then, he backtracked.

 _It was_ supposed _to be me._

He swallowed again, balling his fists at his side.

 _It was supposed to be me._

Daichi put his hand on his shoulder, and they left to join the rest of their team outside the room.

…

Kageyama didn't visit after that.

He walked down the sidewalk, towards Karasuno High School on a Monday morning, one whole week since the freak accident, his hands stuffed into his pockets. He half-expected Hinata to suddenly breeze passed him, like he always did on their way to school; though they lived in different directions, they both used the same sidewalk to get to Karasuno, so they almost always bumped into each other (and raced, of course).

But this time, Hinata didn't. Kageyama knew he wasn't going to, of course, but it still hurt.

Kageyama's phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket, flipping it open.

 _From: Nishinoya Yū  
_ _Re: Hospital Visit  
_ _Daichi says no club activities today. We're gonna go visit Shōyō in the hospital after school. You coming?_

Kageyama stopped walking, staring down at the message. After a long moment, he sent his reply.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _Re: Hospital Visit  
_ _No. Go without me._

And then, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and kept walking, ignoring the next couple buzzes of his phone (Nishinoya was probably yelling at him via long texts and all-caps).

 _If I go, I'll just feel out of place_.

…

But his friends were persistent. They always asked him (or told him) to come with them to the hospital, and he turned them down each time, but it was getting increasingly harder to decline their offers, especially when Yamaguchi called him, saying, _"Hinata's not awake that often, but when he is, he's always wondering where you are. I think he's worried. You should come see him. It'd probably mean a lot."_

He knew. Kageyama _knew_ he should go, but...but he didn't know _how_. He wasn't ready. Wasn't ready to face Hinata after what happened. It wasn't just some stupid "accident" like everyone said it was.

It was Kageyama's fault, and even if no one else realized it - even if Hinata didn't blame him in the slightest - Kageyama still knew the truth.

If he'd just _seen that stupid car sooner_...

His phone rang, and he grabbed it, flipping it open.

 _Incoming Call: Sugawara Kōshi_

He bit his lip, thinking - and then, he accepted the call. "What?" he said instantly, and then berated himself for the tone of his voice. Did he have to sound so threatening _all the time?_ Geez.

He paused.

 _Great, now I'm thinking like Hinata_.

" _Hi, Kageyama,"_ Sugawara said, and Kageyama was broken from his thoughts. Sugawara sounded tired and worn, even though the phone. _"Listen, I know you're getting tired of hearing this, but you should really, really come to the hospital with us."_

Kageyama swallowed thickly. "I know that," he said. "I just can't-"

 _"Hinata doesn't blame you,"_ Sugawara told him firmly in a voice that left no room for argument. _"It wasn't anyone's fault, Kageyama. It was an accident."_

 _An accident that just cost the kindest person in the world their eyesight_ , Kageyama thought harshly, but said nothing. Sugawara had a point. He _always_ did, but still. Even so. Whether it was an accident or not, Kageyama still considered it to be his fault.

It didn't matter what anyone said.

 _"But, Kageyama…"_ Sugawara was talking again, so Kageyama listened. _"...You really should come, okay? At least…"_

There was a long beat in which Kageyama thought the connection might have been cut.

And then…

 _"...At least be there for moral support. He needs all he can get."_

 _Click_. Sugawara terminated the call, leaving Kageyama alone with nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company.

…

Well, he couldn't _not_ go see Hinata after that. He still felt unbelievably out of place, as he followed the hospital receptionist down the hall and to Hinata's room, though Kageyama already knew exactly where it was. He'd never been the most sociable person to begin with. What was he supposed to say that wouldn't just make Hinata feel worse?

What do you say to the person who saved your life at the cost of their sight?

The receptionist left him in front of the closed door leading into Hinata's room. Kageyama sucked in a deep breath, raised his fist, and knocked twice.

The door was answered by Nishinoya, who looked at Kageyama like he was a ghost. The libero wasn't as energetic as he usually was, and there were rings beneath his eyes, like he hadn't slept in a week.

Maybe he hadn't.

"Oh, it's you. Sugawara told me you were coming," Nishinoya said, and he sounded a little frustrated. "Just announce yourself when you walk in so he knows you're there. And...if you plan on touching him any, even if you're just patting him on the shoulder, give him a heads-up first, got it?"

Kageyama nodded silently. He was pretty sure that, out of everyone on the Karasuno team, Nishinoya spent the most time with Hinata. Not because he cared more than anyone else, but because he was able to sneak past doctors and nurses after visiting hours and skip classes at school without any heed for his education whatsoever.

It was a little frustrating, to be honest, but also very comforting. At least Hinata didn't have to be alone for very long…

Nishinoya stepped out of the doorway and snuck back down the hallway - maybe to find a chair to crash on? Kageyama didn't know - and once he disappeared around the corner, Kageyama steeled himself, and then stepped into the hospital room, pulling the door shut behind him.

Hinata was awake. Actually, not only that, but he was sitting up in the hospital bed, looking marginally better than he had before. He wasn't on oxygen anymore, or a heart monitor, but there was still gauze around his head and dark crescents beneath his eyes.

The biggest difference of all were his eyes. They were...clouded. Fogged. Kageyama felt vaguely like he was staring into mist. He swallowed hard.

 _Hinata is blind_.

He had tried to dismiss the doctor's verdict before, but now, he could do it no longer. This was reality.

Hinata was blind.

Hinata wasn't looking directly at him, but his head was turned towards the closed door. "Who's that?" he said, and Kageyama wanted to smack himself. He was such an _idiot_ …

"It's me," Kageyama said, wishing he'd done so the minute he walked into the room. Nishinoya had _just told him_ to introduce himself, but…

Hinata perked up, and Kageyama stared. "Oh! Bakayama! You finally decided to show up!" Hinata said, grinning.

Kageyama sighed. _Aaaaaannnnd he's off._

"So, everyone around here is really serious and dull and it's pretty boring actually! The food here's not that great but it's better than the cafeteria at school - oh, and they said I'm gonna be discharged soon! I won't be able to get back to club activities for another month because they want to make sure my head heals up and stuff - which is no fair! - but I've got all these homework assignments to catch up on and it _sucks_! Oh, and…"

He ranted on, and Kageyama pulled up a chair. Hinata was talking more than usual, and there was eagerness in his tone, but it all felt...fake. Like he was putting up an act.

 _Maybe it's a coping method_.

"-Nishinoya was here earlier, too, he said he's doing fine-"

"Hinata…"

"...And I talked to Kenma earlier, too. Tanaka dialed his number for me. We talked for a little while, I think he's doing good. He wants to do another practice match against us-"

Hinata probably didn't mention the fact that he was blind to Kenma. The more he talked, the more Kageyama realized that yes, this _was_ a coping method. Maybe Hinata thought that the more he talked about everyone else, the less he had to think about his own reality.

Maybe Nishinoya realized this and spent more time with Hinata than before. Or maybe Hinata had asked him to.

"Oh, and Tsukishima was around here earlier. He didn't sound as angry as before so I think he's doing okay, and-"

"I'm sorry."

Kageyama blurted it before he even realized what he was saying. Hinata stopped talking mid-thought, glancing in Kageyama's general direction. He looked confused. "What for?" he asked, and Kageyama squeezed his hands into fists against his knees. He wished Hinata would get mad at him. He boarderline _wanted_ Hinata to get mad at him.

Kageyama could deal with that. But he couldn't deal with _this_. He couldn't deal with Hinata _not_ blaming him. It felt so _wrong_.

Kageyama didn't say anything else after that. Only continued to stare at the ground, so he didn't have to meet Hinata's eyes. It hurt. It _hurt_. It really, really, really, _really hurt_ , and Kageyama wanted to scream, wanted to yank on his hair and scream at the top of his lungs.

But he didn't.

He heard Hinata sigh. "Oh...you mean _that_ ," he said, and Kageyama finally looked up. Hinata was staring at the far wall, no longer in Kageyama's direction. He couldn't _see_ anything, but he probably felt Kageyama staring at him and didn't want to look back.

"Sugawara told me you're beating yourself up over...this," Hinata said, suddenly quiet, and he waved his hand in front of his face. Kageyama winced, wishing he wouldn't. "But...you really don't have to worry, Kageyama."

Kageyama ducked his head. _I do worry_.

"It wasn't your fault."

 _This is all my fault_.

"I don't want you to feel guilty."

 _I do feel guilty_.

"I'm fine, really...I promise."

 _You're lying_.

It hurt. It hurt. _It hurt_.

The fake smile Hinata wore _hurt_. It was pained and forced and practically screamed _I'm dying on the inside_ and Kageyama would rather sit next to a car-sick Hinata than sit here and stare at Hinata's fake smile.

He'd probably never admit it, but he'd begun to see Hinata as a sort of annoying little brother, despite Hinata being the older of the two. They fought more than anyone else on the Karasuno team, but they also understood each other better than anyone else at the same time. They had a mutual kind of friendship, one that required little words.

"But... _why?"_ Kageyama questioned. " _Why_ did you do that? You didn't...you didn't have to."

"I know I didn't have to," said Hinata. "I could have just let you get run over, but I wouldn't have been able to live with myself afterwards."

"I don't understand." This was a new thing entirely for Kageyama. This...this... _something_. This feeling of fear and regret and guilt and _confusion_ because _he just didn't understand why Hinata would risk his own life just to save his._

"You really are stupid, Kageyama. Baka. _Baka_ yama." Hinata frowned (at least it was better than that fake smile). "I would've done it for any of you guys. Nishinoya, Tanaka, Daichi, Sugawara, Ennoshita, you name it. You're not special. You just happened to walk right in front of a speeding car."

Kageyama winced.

" _Kageyama! Watch out!_

 _He was shoved. There was a sickening_ crack _and the screech of tires as the brakes were floored. Everyone was moving at once; Sugawara, as well as a few different onlookers, dialed 119._

 _There was blood. There was panic. Kageyama finally realized what had happened._

 _He'd been shoved, by Hinata, and Hinata had taken his place in front of the speeding vehicle._

"It was my choice," said Hinata, and Kageyama was brought back to the present, back to the aftermath of those events. "Now," Hinata put up a finger pointedly, like he was a teacher coming to the conclusion of a problem, "it'd be one thing if you were using me as a human shield, but you weren't. I wouldn't put it past you, of course…"

Kageyama glared.

"Just kidding," said Hinata. "But, you know what I mean. It was me. You didn't make me do anything. It was my choice, and…" He paused, glancing down, even though he wasn't looking at anything in particular.

"...And I don't regret it," Hinata finished. "I don't regret it at all and you shouldn't either. It wasn't your fault. It was nobody's fault. Playing the blame game...it'll...it'll just make it harder. For everyone."

He didn't say what he really meant, but Kageyama still caught on: _It'll just make it harder for me._

"...Okay," Kageyama finally relented. "I won't blame myself anymore."

After that, they talked about pointless stuff, like volleyball and school, but eventually, evening came. Kageyama watched the sunset from the hospital room's single window, and then, he rose to his feet.

"It's late," he told Hinata, who looked at the direction of his voice (and ended up staring at the space just beside Kageyama). "I should head home, probably."

"...Oh." Hinata looked and sounded disappointed. "O-Okay."

Kageyama nodded, pivoted, and made for the door.

But at the last second…

"Wait, Kageyama."

...And he turned, looking at Hinata over his shoulder. "What?" he asked.

Hinata bit his lip, looking suddenly embarrassed. "Um...would you mind...would you mind staying? Just until someone else comes?"

The question caught him off-guard, so Kageyama really didn't know what to say. After a few moments of silence, Hinata went on, slowly and quietly.

"I-I've never actually been afraid of the dark before," he said, his voice wavering, "but...b-but it's different now, because...because now darkness is all there is."

There was a beat.

"Okay," said Kageyama, crossing the room once again. "I'll stay."

Kageyama wondered, vaguely, if this was what it was like to have a little brother. To want to protect someone with all your life, to hold on with both hands and never let go, to want to always be there if they were scared, to shield them when the world was against them.

If that was the case, then Kageyama was pretty okay with being that shield.

…

Weeks passed like decades until finally, at long last, Hinata was cleared by his doctor to continue club activities. The rest of the team was completely ecstatic to have him back, and they took turns - wordlessly - leading Hinata around by the wrist. Usually, this was done by Nishinoya or Sugawara, but Yamaguchi and Tanaka did it sometimes, too. It all depended on who was closest.

They never mentioned his blindness, never treated him any differently (other than leading him when they decided to move), and Kageyama knew Hinata appreciated this more than anything else.

The first day back at the volleyball club, Hinata sat on the bench and watched. Or, well, not necessary _watched_ , but listened. Between getting switched out, Nishinoya and Tsukishima took turns on the bench, narrating the game for Hinata, who couldn't see what was going on but still wanted to know.

"And there he goes," began Nishinoya, "the famous Kageyama Tobio with his jump serve - oh, look, he missed! He needs to keep his head in the game! Oh look, now he's glaring at me..."

Tsukishima's commentary was much different but just as interesting.

"That was dumb. He was obviously going to toss it to the left and they blocked on the right. How lame. Oh, there goes the King - and there goes the point, too. If they weren't such morons they might be able to get another point - but of course, they _are_ such morons, so they're obviously going to lose this one."

It wasn't _that_ helpful, but it was Tsukishima's way of showing that he cared, and Kageyama could tell Hinata appreciated it.

…

Later on that day, after practice, when everyone else had left, Kageyama passed the gym on his way home.

And heard the familiar sound of volleyballs hitting the court inside.

With a frown, Kageyama moved forward to investigate, towards the sliding door leading in. It was cracked. Somebody hadn't closed it all the way. _Who could still be practicing?_ he thought, peering in.

It was Hinata. The ginger was standing on one end of the court, facing the wall, a volleyball held in hand.

Kageyama was startled at first, but he didn't call out for two reasons: one, because it'd scare the living daylights out of Hinata, and two, because he was curious as to just what Hinata was doing here all by himself.

 _He said his mother was picking him up_ , Kageyama thought. _Was he lying? How did he sneak back here? Did he steal the key, or did Tanaka just forget to lock up? ...Nevermind, considering it's Tanaka, he probably_ definitely _forgot to lock up_.

He stood, silent, and watched his teammate.

Hinata raised his head towards the wall and took a deep breath. "So, the wall's right there," he said, stepping forward and pressing his hand against it, "and the floor's down here, so…"

He stepped back again, raised the ball, and threw it hard against the ground. The ball bounced, ricocheted off the wall and came right back towards him, and Hinata raised his arm, swung -

And missed. The ball hit the court just beside him.

Kageyama blanched. Something in his chest clenched. _He's trying to spike it…_

Keyword: _trying_.

"Agh!" Hinata yelled. "I thought I had that one…" The cart containing all their volleyballs was nearby, and Hinata reached over blindly, managing to grab a ball relatively quickly. "Okay, again...the wall's right here, and the floor's right there, so all I have to do is…"

He repeated the same process with nearly the same results; this time, the ball flew right over his head after hitting the wall.

"One more!" Hinata said, grabbing blindly for a third ball.

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

"Again!"

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

"Again!"

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

"One more time!"

Throw. Ricochet. Swing. Miss.

Kageyama watched. It was becoming increasingly difficult to keep quiet, and he could tell that the longer he kept at it, the more frustrated Hinata was becoming. The evidence of this was the crack of his voice, the aggressive force behind his throws and swings, the tears shimmering in his blind, misty eyes.

Kageyama wanted him to stop. He desperately, _desperately_ wanted him to stop. But Hinata didn't. He kept throwing, and spiking, and missing, over and over and over again, until finally, when he reached towards the cart, there were no balls left.

He'd thrown and missed every single one of them.

Hinata stood there, staring at the wall he could no longer see, his hands balled into fists at his sides. There was a mixture of sweat and tears running down his face.

He stayed that way for a long, long while.

And then, he sank to his knees, burried his face in his hands, and sobbed.

When he was with his teammates, he put on an act, pretending he was happy for their sake, but he wasn't, and Kageyama might have been the only person to truly realize this. Hinata was miserable, and of course he was. He'd been robbed of a physical part of him and now…

...And now he couldn't spike a ball.

Volleyball, the thing Hinata loved more than anything else in the world, had been taken away from him.

Kageyama clenched his fists.

 _Just what kind of cruel place_ is _this world?_

Not for the first time, Kageyama prayed this was a dream.

…

"Kageyama...I think I'm going to quit volleyball."

Kageyama choked on his water. He and Hinata had stayed at the gym after practice, promising to lock up, while the rest of the team headed home (after Nishinoya made Kageyama promise not to bully Hinata while he was gone).

Kageyama rounded the spiker, suddenly furious. " _What?"_ he snarled, and Hinata jumped with a small yelp, taking a couple of steps away from the source of Kageyama's voice. When Kageyama didn't speak again, Hinata lowered his guard, fiddling with the hem of his shirt.

"I can't do it," Hinata said slowly, his head turned towards the ground. He could, no doubt, feel Kageyama's eyes bearing into him and was trying to avoid it. "I...I can't do it anymore."

Kageyama balled his fists. "What makes you say that?" he demanded.

Hinata bit his lip, still fidgeting. "If...if I stay on the team, I'll…" His voice was strained. He was holding back tears. "I'll just bring you all down. You need to...you guys need to...t-to get stronger, and...and make it to nationals…"

Kageyama gritted his teeth. "Is that all you're thinking about?" he growled. "You don't think that maybe we care about you more than nationals?"

Hinata shook his head feverishly, backtracking. "No! It's not that!" he said, waving his hands back and forth. "I just...I don't want to be the weak link in the chain. If I can't see, I can't receive, I can't serve, I can't spi-"

"You used to spike with your eyes closed, anyway!" Kageyama was raising his voice now, suddenly angry. "We'll just go back to that!"

Something snapped, and HInata's own fury flared. "That's not enough!" Hinata shouted. "That spike isn't enough on its own!"

"IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO BE ENOUGH!" Kageyama yelled back. He balled his fists at his side, shaking with anger. "It's going to have to be," he repeated, " _because we're not kicking you off the team!"_

"But if I...if I keep playing," Hinata started, moving backwards, further away from Kageyama, "and you guys start falling down in the ranks, I'll...I'll know it's because of me! I can't deal with that! I'm not going to be the reason this team never becomes the best! I'm not _asking_ for your permission, Kageyama! I don't need it! I'll quit if I want to quit!"

He was crying now. He _didn't_ want to quit, and they both knew it.

"You're missing the point, Hinata!" Kageyama yelled, advancing, taking step after step towards Hinata until finally, he grabbed the shorter by the shoulders, ignoring his flinch. "Yeah, sure, if you quit we might make it to nationals, and we might win twice as many tournaments as any other powerhouse school in the prefecture, and we might become the best volleyball team in the entire world…"

He took a breath.

" _BUT WITHOUT YOU, WE DON'T WANT ANY OF THAT!"_

Hinata jumped, staring straight into Kageyama's face, and Kageyama stared back into Hinata's clouded, tear-filled, unseeing eyes.

"We don't care if you suck!" Kageyama went on. "We don't care if you can't receive or serve - it's not like you've ever been able to do that anyway! If you make a mistake we'll cover for you!"

"But I'll still drag you all down!" Hinata objected. "If you have to keep worrying about hitting balls I usually hit, what's the point of me being on the team at all!? The only thing I'll do is... _I'll cripple the entire team!"_

" _THAT'S WHY THERE ARE SIX PLAYERS ON A VOLLEYBALL COURT, YOU IDIOT!"_ Kageyama screeched. "We cover for you! It's what we do! As a _team!_ Sure, individual strengths make it _easier_ , but no game is decided just by its starting lineup! We don't care if we have to hit _every_ ball that comes your way! We're not going to let you quit just because you think you'll hold us back!"

Hinata swallowed thickly. He looked terrified. "K-Kageyama-"

Kageyama finally released him and stepped back, stomping his feet as he walked. He picked up the nearest volleyball and spun it in his hand.

"I want you to swing your arm," said Kageyama to Hinata, "right now, and you're going to hit this ball, just like you always do."

Hinata opened his mouth to retort, but all the fight was sapped from him, so all he did was utter tearfully, "But I'm bli-"

"Just swing your arm," interrupted Kageyama, raising the ball, getting ready to throw it. "I'll bring the ball to you, just like I always do. Just trust me…"

 _And jump._

Hinata thought for another moment, looking absolutely torn - and then, he nodded mutely. He raised his arm over his head, and the instant he swung it for the spike, Kageyama pinpoint-tossed the ball.

 _Smack_.

Hinata's hand hit the ball, right on target, and the volleyball bounced against the court's floor. Hinata blinked a couple of times in disbelief.

"I...I hit it," he said.

Kageyama nodded firmly, crossing his arms. "You hit it," he said. "Nothing has changed. You're going to stand on the court with us, and you're going to spike my tosses, and we're going to go to nationals."

Hinata still didn't look completely convinced. "But...what about the starting run? What about jumping? What about the net? If I don't know where anything is-"

"We'll count how many strides it takes to get from one side of the court to the other, and how many it takes to get from the back of the court to the net," said Kageyama, frowning. "But it doesn't matter where you are. When you spike, the ball will be there. _Unless_ , of course, you're a decoy. Got it?"

Hinata blinked again, and this time, there were more tears. "A-Are you sure I won't just…" He rubbed his eyes with the backs of his hands. "...I won't just b-bring the team to the ground?"

"As if you could," said Kageyama. "Which you _can't_ , and even if you _could_ , there's literally nothing you could do to make us want you to quit the team."

Hinata turned his head towards the ground, probably trying to hide the majority of his tears. Kageyama wondered, for a moment, how long Hinata had been suffering in silence, in the darkness that was his reality, shutting himself out and forcing pained smiles for the sake of his friends and family.

Kageyama swallowed, wanting to do _something_ , but he didn't know _what_. What would Hinata do if their roles were reversed, if Kageyama was blind and crying and lost in a sea of darkness?

Kageyama sucked in a breath. Nishinoya's words came back at him: _"If you plan on touching him any, even if you're just patting him on the shoulder, give him a heads-up first, got it?"_

"Can...can I hug you?"

Hinata's head jerked up, and he stared at Kageyama as though he'd suggested they go to Mars. "W-what?"

"A hug," said Kageyama, stupidly. "Because...you're...you're hurting." _Because you're suffering alone and you're_ not _alone and I want you to realize that there are so many people here for you who love you and who don't want you to do this by yourself_.

Hinata didn't move for the longest time.

And then, all at once, he did.

He flat-out _charged_ towards Kageyama. Or rather, as he couldn't see, he was really charging for the space right beside Kageyama, where he thought Kageyama was.

When Kageyama realized this, he intentionally stepped into that space, and Hinata crashed into him, almost knocking them both over.

As far as he could remember, this was the first time Kageyama had actually hugged one of his friends. He was stiff and tense at first, not knowing what to do because he'd never actually been in this situation before, but eventually, he relaxed and hugged Hinata back.

Hinata was hurting. His tears made this obvious. Kageyama knew this, and standing in silence broken only by Hinata's sobs was a fate worse than death.

 _What do I say?_

 _What would Hinata say?_

"It'll be okay, I promise," Kageyama said, just to break the silence, trying to sound as convincing as possible. "You remember what I told you, right? As long as I'm here... _you're invincible."_

 _ **FIN**_

 **BONUS (Deleted Scene):**

"Hinata, the team and I pitched in and got you something," said Kageyama to the spiker one day.

Hinata brightened up. "Ooh, you did? What is it?" he asked eagerly, leaning forward. They were sitting outside on one of the school benches; it was Friday, and they had just finished the last of their schoolwork for the week and were getting ready to head home.

"Here," said Kageyama. "Hold this, and take a guess."

Hinata took it from Kageyama and ran his fingers over it. Thick, bumpy fabric, almost like a fabric belt, but it wasn't a belt...it was…

"Wait, is this a leash?"

Kageyama nodded, and then, when he remembered Hinata couldn't see him, said "Yes."

"You...you guys got me a dog?"

On the other end of the leash, said dog barked (the dog had a very strange, unique sounding bark, Kageyama noted) and Hinata jumped, just slightly, in surprise. The dog was a border collie, and it came from a Service Animal Organization located a couple hours away from Karasuno.

Kageyama nodded, and then corrected himself again. "Yeah, we did. A seeing-eye dog."

"No way!" Hinata gasped, and he reached forward blindly, his head whipping back and forth as though by doing so he would somehow see the dog. "Where is it?"

The border collie leaned forward and nuzzled its head into Hinata's palm. Hinata practically squealed, and he leapt off the bench to hug the dog tightly around the neck, looking happier than Kageyama had ever seen him.

"Aww, she's so fluffy!" Hinata gasped.

"He's," Kageyama corrected. "It's a boy."

"Aww, he's so fluffy!" Hinata repeated, changing only the pronoun, and Kageyama rolled his eyes.

"It was Sugawara's idea," said Kageyama, "and we checked with your mom. She said she thought it was a great idea."

"Thank you!" said Hinata, beaming brighter than ever before, and he squeezed the border collie even tighter. It was an amazing gift, of course, but the fact that it was from his team made it that much more special. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you-!"

"You sound like a broken record," Kageyama frowned.

"S-Sorry!" Hinata said, but his grin never faded. "I'm just...I'm just so happy!" As if in direct response, the border collie barked again.

"So, anyways," said Kageyama, "you should probably start thinking of a name for him."

"I already have an idea," said Hinata, nodding firmly.

Kageyama frowned again. _It's probably going to be something stupid and childish, like Fluffy, right?_

"I'm gonna call him Kageyama," said Hinata, and he sounded so proud of himself it was almost ridiculous.

Kageyama made a face. "Why the heck would you name the dog after me?" he questioned. "It doesn't even _look_ like me...not that you would know that…"

" _Becaaaause_ ," interrupted Hinata, "whenever he barks, it sounds like he's saying 'baka'!"

Kageyama blinked.

And then…

"I'm seriously going to smack you one of these days."

"Okay," said Hinata, grinning. "I'm sure Kageyama will bite you if you try."

"The dog having the same name as me is going to get really annoying really fast."

Hinata pouted. "You're no fun." And then, to the dog, "But Kageyama's fun, aren't you, boy?" The dog barked and wagged his tail. "See!? He really _does_ sound like he's saying baka! He's just like you, Kageyama!"

"Shut up. And no he's not."

"Yes he is!"

"No he's not."

"Yes he is."

"No he's not."

"He is."

"He's not."

"He is."

"He's not."

…

"He is."

"He's not."

 _ **FIN (AGAIN)**_

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Aaaaaccccckkkkk Kageyama and Hinata are my BROtp. I love platonic, brotherly relationships like this and I seriously wanted to write something, so I thought why not.**

 **Well, looking back on it, Kageyama might have been a little OOC, but I had a really hard time writing the character interactions. This isn't my first Haikyuu! fanfiction (I've written a couple of practice ones that I haven't posted yet) so I feel pretty comfortable writing these characters. But traumatic experiences can change people and it was really hard to write how these characters would handle a traumatic experience so...I hope you guys still enjoyed reading it.**

 **It seemed to me that blind!Kageyama is a big trend in this fandom, so I decided to switch it around. AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE ANGST I AM SO SORRY IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIS** _ **GAK!**_

 **This was originally supposed to be short but I looked back at the wordcount and it's about 8,000 words…? Why does this always happen to me? It seems my sad fanfictions are always longer than anything else...WHY!? AM I GOOD AT WRITING ANGST SO THAT THE WORDS JUST FLOW NATURALLY OR DO I SUBCONSCIOUSLY LIKE WRITING ANGST SO I NEVER STOP!? AGH!**

 **Anyways, if any of you guys are interested in reading this blind!Hinata AU as a multi-chap fic, I could probably make it into a one-shot collection of some sort but it all depends on whether or not you guys would actually read something like that. But I'm considering it, so let me know, 'kay? :) I'm also really, really thinking about rewriting this from Hinata's POV, too, so let me know about that.**

 **Oh, and drop me a review if you fancy! ;)**

 **Thank you all for reading, and I love you guys more than you realize! You're all beautiful, amazing people and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**

 _ **FIN (FOR REAL THIS TIME)**_


	2. The Splint

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **...**

Kageyama stared, glaring harshly, at the paper sitting on his desk. More specifically, the words typed out onto the paper. He twiddled his pencil between his fingers, frowning. He'd procrastinated on his homework all week and just realized earlier that it was due tomorrow.

It was past midnight (he'd started at nine that evening) and he wasn't even halfway through with the problems on the test.

 _I wonder if I can get away with burning it,_ he thought to himself. _I could always say the neighbor's dog tore it up, too, but would they buy that?_

He frowned at the next problem on the test, feeling more and more frustrated by the second.

 _Question: Yasahiro was betrayed by his dearest friend. Give a word that would best describe Yasahiro's feelings._

Kageyama glared harder, and then, he brandished his pencil and wrote his answer.

 _SOLVE YOUR OWN FREAKING PROBLEMS, YASAHIRO!_

That probably wasn't the answer that would give him the passing grade he needed, but at this point, he was fed up. One hundred percent _done_ with this assignment.

He was seriously considering burning it, and was right in the middle of thinking how he would get away with it when his phone, sitting beside his test on the desk, suddenly rang.

Kageyama frowned, reaching over. _Who the heck could be calling at this hour?_ he thought, still feeling remaining fury towards his test that was now directed at his interrupting phone.

 _Incoming Call: Stupid Hinata_

He frowned, and then accepted the call.

"Yeah?" he said, hoping he didn't sound as exasperated as he felt.

" _Oh, you picked up."_ Despite the insane hour, Hinata sounded just as wide-awake and exuberant as ever. _"Honestly I wasn't expecting you to. I feel a little bad about thinking that now-"_

"What do you want, idiot?" Kageyama questioned, spinning around in his desk chair to look at the clock on the far wall of his room. "Do you know what time it is?"

" _No."_

Kageyama mentally winced and smacked himself. _Right. He can't see the clock. Way to be a royal jerk, Kageyama._ "...Sorry."

Hinata, as always, was quick to forgive. _"No, it's okay,"_ he said, sounding a little embarrassed. _"I forget, sometimes, too."_

Kageyama sighed, glancing back at his assignment. He needed a break from it, anyways. He'd just have to jot down whatever felt right on his walk to school tomorrow.

" _Why? Is it really that late?"_ Hinata asked.

Kageyama glanced at the clock again. _2:04 AM._

"No," said Kageyama.

There was a pause from Hinata's end. _"You're not lying just to make me feel better, are you?"_ Hinata sounded suspicious.

"No." _Yes, but you don't need to know that._ "Why'd you call, anyway?" he asked both to change the subject and because he was curious. "Why are you up at this hour?"

" _Asks the person also up at this hour."_

Kageyama grit his teeth. "Just answer the first question, idiot."

" _Oh, right, um...I just wanted to talk to someone, I guess."_

Kageyama blinked, confused. "Isn't your family over there with you?" he asked. "Couldn't you just talk to them?"

" _Well, I guess so_ ," said Hinata, _"but they're downstairs sleeping."_

"And?"

"' _And'!?"_ Hinata sounded so disbelieving it was almost comical. _"And I don't want to kill myself trying to get down the stairs, Bakayama!"_

"Why are you sleeping upstairs?" If Kageyama was blind, the last thing he would want to do is sleep somewhere that put a staircase between him and the rest of his house.

" _Gak!"_ Hinata groaned. _"You know what, nevermind. I knew this was a bad idea from the start. Goodnight, Kageyama."_

Kageyama leapt to his feet involuntarily, pushing back his chair. "Oy! Idiot! Don't hang up on me!" he shouted into the other line. "I'm sorry, alright!? I wasn't trying to be a jerk!"

There was a brief pause.

And then…

" _Wow, Kageyama apologizing to me? Maybe it'll snow this summer, too."_

Kageyama closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. _If only I could smack him through the phone…_ "Why'd you call in the first place?" said Kageyama, sitting down on the edge of his bed . "You have a reason, don't you?"

" _Um, yeah, sort of,"_ said Hinata. _"It just gets pretty lonely over here is all. After I was discharged I slept downstairs on the couch so I could shout to my mom if I needed her, but...I didn't like feeling helpless, so I moved back upstairs."_

Kageyama understood. It made sense. Hinata was always the kind of person that didn't like to rely on others for basic tasks - like getting around his house, for example. "And now?" said Kageyama.

" _Um…"_ He could almost _feel_ Hinata's discomfort. This was obviously something the spiker hadn't planned on sharing. _"Now I feel kind of...stuck up here,"_ Hinata finally said. _"Kinda like the time you dared me to climb that tree. Remember?"_

"I didn't dare you," Kageyama said. "I said, 'Hinata, don't climb that tree,' and you said 'Don't tell me what to do, Bakayama' and then you climbed the tree."

" _...Still, that's not the point,"_ Hinata said. _"Yeah, it was embarrassing when you had to call the local firemen, but-"_

"You're getting off track, idiot."

" _Right, sorry, um...well, anyways, I didn't want to yell for anyone, but I still wanted to talk to someone, so I called you."_

Frankly, Kageyama was a little taken aback by this. "You wanted someone to talk to, and your first choice was me?" he asked, unsure of how he felt about it.

Kageyama heard Hinata sigh. _"Well, not exactly,"_ said Hinata. _"I actually called Sugawara first, but when he answered he sounded really tired, so I lied and said I accidentally called - don't tell him I said that - and let him hang up._ Then _I called you."_

Okay, that made sense. Kageyama wasn't very upset by the fact that he wasn't Hinata's first choice. If you wanted comforting words or good advice or just someone to talk to, Sugawara was the perfect person for the job.

" _But I almost didn't,"_ Hinata went on, and Kageyama listened. _"I almost didn't call you, because I felt really bad about waking Sugawara up and I didn't want to bother anyone else-"_

"Idiot," Kageyama interrupted.

Hinata stopped. _"Eh?"_

"I said, idiot," Kageyama repeated, though he was pretty sure Hinata already got the message. "Nothing's stopped you from bothering me before," he went on - not to be rude, exactly, but to prove a point. "Call me whenever. It doesn't matter when. I'll answer."

There was absolute silence from Hinata's line. Kageyama pulled his phone away from his ear briefly, looking down at the screen. _The call's still connected…_ "Oy, you still there?" he questioned.

" _...You're acting weird, Kageyama,"_ said Hinata after another moment. _"Are you sick or something?"_

Kageyama glared, even though Hinata couldn't see it. "Do you _want_ me to hurt you?"

" _Oh, false alarm, false alarm! You're fine!"_

Kageyama clicked his tongue. "Moron."

" _Bakayama."_ He could hear the smile behind Hinata's voice as he spoke, but then, his tone dropped dramatically. _"I still felt really bad after I called Sugawara_ ," he said. _"I mean, the team spent so much time visiting me in the hospital and stuff. I kind of felt like I was burdening them. Like...like I'm bringing everyone down."_

"You're not bringing anyone down. We've been over this."

" _I know that, but still."_

Kageyama paused, remembering. It was similar to his own situation, back when he was blaming himself for what happened to Hinata. Even though he knew it was nobody's fault - even though his brain accepted the information that it was not his own fault - his heart still told him otherwise.

Maybe, even subconsciously, he still blamed himself for Hinata's injury. Maybe it was never something he would truly be able to get over. Maybe he'd never fully forgive himself (even if there was nothing to forgive himself _for_ ).

But even so…

"It's not your fault," said Kageyama. "The team chose to visit you. You didn't drag them there, or even ask them to come. They did it because they care about you. We _all_ care about you."

" _...It's strange,"_ Hinata said, _"that I have to hear this from you."_

Kageyama rolled his eyes. Frankly, he was frustrated with the fact that he hadn't visited Hinata more often in the hospital. After his first visit, a little over a week after the accident, he'd visited one last time, and then Hinata was discharged.

He wished he'd accepted his teammates' invitations more often when they asked him to go to the hospital with them.

Kageyama shook his head. _That's in the past. There's no changing the past._

 _But..._

 _I still have time to shape the present_.

"I mean it," Kageyama said firmly. "It doesn't matter what time of day it is. Even if I'm in the middle of class," _Which I'll be failing anyway_ , "if you call, you can expect an answer, got it?"

" _You almost sound like you're threatening me."_

"I don't know, maybe I am. Do we have a deal?"

There was a brief pause. _"Okay. Deal."_

"Good."

After that, they talked about random stuff, and every now and then, while Hinata was in the middle of a rant, Kageyama would jot down something on his test (yes, he hadn't planned on working on it any more, but what the heck, he had to do _something_ or it would just keep _haunting_ him).

Kageyama was in the middle of jotting down an answer when he realized Hinata had stopped talking. He paused, waiting, but there was nothing. "You still there, idiot, or did you hang up?" Kageyama asked.

" _Oh, sorry!"_ Hinata said quickly - almost too quickly. _"I kind of almost fell asleep."_

Kageyama's response was short and simple. "Then go to sleep."

" _But-"_

"You called me because you couldn't sleep," said Kageyama, "and now you can sleep, so hang up and go to sleep."

" _You just said 'sleep' three times in the same sentence."_

"Of course I did. I had to make sure you were paying attention."

He heard Hinata sigh. _"I'm guessing there's no arguing with you."_

"Obviously."

" _Okay. ...Thanks for talking to me. I...I appreciate it."_

"Don't mention it." _It's the least I can do after the hell you've been through._ "We'll work on positions on the court tomorrow, alright? I talked to Daichi earlier, he said we can use the gym for as long as want."

" _Oh, really?"_ Hinata's tone became just a little more energetic. _"Okay! I'll see you then!"_

"Don't be late."

" _Well,_ you _don't be late!"_

Kageyama rolled his eyes.

" _...Goodnight, Kageyama."_

"'Night, idiot."

 _Click_.

…

With a stopwatch and a small notepad, Hinata and Kageyama were practicing in the school gym. Hinata stood at the back of the court just behind the white line, waiting for Kageyama's cue.

"So, I just run, right?" Hinata said dumbly.

Kageyama looked up at him and nodded. It was still strange, seeing that strange, fog-like mist clouding Hinata's usually brown eyes, but he didn't comment. He never did. "Yeah," said Kageyama. "Just run like you usually would if you were spiking for a quick set."

Hinata frowned, looking uncomfortable. "How do I know you'll tell me when I'm about to hit the net?" Hinata muttered. He said it under his breath, so Kageyama was pretty sure he wasn't meant to hear it.

Kageyama glared at him, though he knew Hinata couldn't see it. _Do you really still have so little faith in me?_ "You're just going to have to trust me, idiot," said Kageyama. "It shouldn't be that hard."

Hinata sighed. "I know," he said. "It's just...it's different when I can't see anything."

"Just don't worry about it," said Kageyama. "I'll warn you before you hit the net. You should have plenty of time to stop."

Hinata nodded, and then, he took off running. Kageyama counted his foot falls as accurately as he could (it was a little tricky, as he was also watching how close the net was plus Hinata was _just so dang fast_ ).

"Okay, Hinata, stop!"

Hinata put on the brakes, skidding just slightly, but he didn't hit the net. When he turned back in Kageyama's direction, there was a dull sparkle in his blind eyes that wasn't there before.

"I didn't hit the net!" he cheered, like he'd just won a marathon. "Yeaha!"

Kageyama rolled his eyes, jotting down the number of strides it took Hinata to reach the net. "So that's that," he said, moving forward. "I'm gonna grab your arm, alright?"

"Okay!" said Hinata, nodding eagerly, and he let Kageyama drag him off towards the opposite side of the court. Despite Hinata's breakdown of a couple days ago, he seemed more eager than ever to work on volleyball.

 _Probably because he thinks the sooner he learns to play blindly, the sooner he can actually start practicing with the team again_ , Kageyama thought, but said nothing. Anything he said now would probably only put a damper on Hinata's mood, and Kageyama didn't have the heart to do that.

After all, it'd been so long since he'd seen Hinata smile ( _actually_ smile, not that pathetic, heart-wrenching fake smile he'd put on just to have a brave face).

"We'll count the strides lengthwise now," said Kageyama, releasing Hinata's arm. "There's no net for you to run into this time, but I'll still tell you when to stop."

Hinata nodded eagerly - at the wall, where he probably thought Kageyama was - and then started off again at top-speed.

 _Even though he can't see it_ , thought Kageyama, as he counted the strides, _he's just happy to be standing on the court._

Kageyama watched, and when Hinata reached the right spot on the court, he jotted it down in the notebook, staring back at his handiwork thus far. "Alright, Hinata," he called after another second, "I've got the-"

 _Bang._

"Ouch!"

Kageyama grimaced. Hinata had, without meaning to, run straight into the wall. The impact knocked him off his feet and onto the ground, and he sat there, staring at the wall like it'd betrayed him.

"Oh," Kageyama said. "My bad."

Hinata jumped to his feet and whirled around. "KAGEYAMA!" he shouted furiously. "DANG, THAT HURT!"

"Sorry."

"You told me to stop when there was a _net_ but not when there was a _wall!?"_ He looked around blindly, and then pointed across the room, probably where he thought Kageyama was standing."I'LL FIND YOU!" he shouted, walking in that direction. "DON'T THINK I WON'T!"

Kageyama deadpanned. "You're about to-"

 _Bump_.

Hinata hit the same wall once again, though much softer this time. Hinata growled lowly, and then shouted, even louder than before, "I'LL FIND YOU _EVENTUALLY!_ DON'T THINK I WON'T!"

"Oy, we've got two more spiking positions to count," said Kageyama, heading over. "We've gotta finish doing this today, you know. You want to practice with the team tomorrow, don't you?"

Any trace of anger vanished from Hinata's face. "You mean I can!?" Hinata said instantly, sounding almost too excited. "I can practice tomorrow!?"

"Only if we can get your stride count, idiot," Kageyama said. "I'm going to grab your arm again, alright?"

"O-kay!" sang Hinata, nodding, and he thrust out his arm expectantly. "Yahoo! I'm gonna practice again tomorrow! It's been so long!"

 _That's right_ , Kageyama realized with a twinge of pain striking his heart, as he lead Hinata back to the righthand side of the court. _He hasn't practiced with the rest of the team since the accident._

"Um, Kageyama? You're squeezing my arm awfully hard."

Kageyama loosened his grip. "Sorry."

"S'okay."

…

When tomorrow came, the team met in the gym. After everyone exchanged their greetings with Hinata, and Hinata boasted how hard he and Kageyama had been practicing the day before, they divided into two teams, one for each side of the court. Kageyama and Hinata were, of course, put on the same side.

"Remember how many strides, Hinata," said Kageyama. "And…" He hesitated, wondering if he should continue. "...Don't expect everything to work out perfectly right off the bat."

"I know that!" said Hinata. "But I'm still excited to try! If we can do this...maybe I'll still have a place on this team!"

"Hey! What's that about?" said Tanaka from the background, coming up to stand between the spiker and the setter. "You'll always have a place on this team! And anyone who says otherwise…" A shadow crossed over Tanaka's face, and he punched his balled fist into his open palm. "...They'll have to answer to your senpais."

Kageyama involuntarily took a step back. He pitied the person on the receiving end of Tanaka's wrath. Not only that, but he was sure Nishinoya would have a thing or two to say, not to mention Sugawara and Daichi...not to mention _Kageyama himself_ …

 _We have a lot of terrifying people on our team_ , Kageyama thought with a small shiver, and then shook his head to forget it. The practice began.

…

They didn't sync at all. Honestly, the more they went on, the more Kageyama wished Daichi would call the match good and end it there.

It was one thing when it was just Hinata and Kageyama practicing, but it was another thing altogether when they were practicing with the rest of the team. The spikes were random; Hinata couldn't block any of them, of course, nor could he receive anything (except for the one time Hinata got hit in the face by a stray ball, but that didn't count), and even though he and Kageyama had practiced for hours yesterday in an attempt to mark down all of Hinata's strides, it was different when they were in a game.

Even if it was just a practice game, it was different.

Hinata wasn't jumping as high as he used to, and he didn't run as fast, either. Maybe it was a lack of confidence, or maybe it was a fear of running into something or someone by mistake, as he had no idea where he was going.

Either way, Kageyama wanted the practice to end. He wanted it to end, and he wanted it to end right now, before something bad happened. What good was any of this if all Hinata did was get discouraged again?

Kageyama and Hinata had only gotten a handful of spikes in, and even then they just barely made it over. Kageyama always pinpoint-tossed them, but it still wasn't working as well as anyone had hoped.

Hinata was beginning to get discouraged. This was obvious, not just to Kageyama, but to everyone on the court. If they kept going like this...who knew what would happen?

Kageyama met eyes with Daichi, on the opposite side of the court, and made a T with his hands. Daichi nodded, and they called a timeout.

"Hinata," Kageyama said, approaching the spiker; Hinata jumped and whirled around to face Kageyama's direction. There was sweat running down his face and tears pricking the corners of his clouded eyes.

Hinata rubbed his face with his knuckles. "What?" he choked out.

"Listen," Kageyama said, raising a hand and carefully putting it on Hinata's shoulder. Hinata didn't flinch; he must have been anticipating the contact. "I know you want to play, but maybe you take a break for a few minutes."

"No!" Hinata shouted all of a sudden, startling Kageyama. Hinata jerked away and, for the first time since the accident, he stared Kageyama right in the eyes. It was by complete coincidence, of course, but still somewhat unsettling.

And the court fell silent.

Hinata calmed down all at once and ducked his head again. He didn't know it, but the rest of the team was staring at him in shock. Kageyama wanted to shout at them to look away, but didn't. It didn't matter. It wasn't like Hinata could see them staring, anyways.

"If I can't do this…" Hinata began, his voice shaking, "then...then there's nothing I'm good for. I might as well just quit."

Kageyama saw Tanaka start forward, but Daichi stopped him at the last second before he had the chance to say anything.

"So please!" Hinata said, clasping his hands together and bowing his head against them. "Let me try it one more time! Bring the ball to me again! I can do it, I promise!"

Kageyama bit his lip. He had faith in Hinata, of course, he always had, but this was...different. It was different this time.

There were only two ways this game could turn out: If Hinata was able to spike the ball like he used to, then his morale would increase explosively. However...if he _wasn't_ able to spike like he used to...the opposite would occur, and Hinata's mood would plummet worse than a bird with a broken wing.

 _But if we don't give him a chance,_ Kageyama thought, _won't that in it of itself crush him?_

He remembered their conversation from before. Or, well, not necessarily a _conversation_ \- more like a yelling fest.

" _Nothing has changed. You're going to stand on the court with us, and you're going to spike my tosses, and we're going to go to nationals."_

When he'd said that, he'd meant it. He'd meant it with his entire being, with his whole heart, with his whole mind. He believed in Hinata. He knew he could do it. He'd _have_ to do it, if just for his own sake.

"Okay," said Kageyama. "We'll try it again."

And the game continued, but from then on out, the mood shifted drastically. Hinata missed tosses, like he had done before, but he kept himself going, shouting, "One more! I'll get it this time!" after each failed attempt.

He still worked as a decoy, too; Tanaka got his own spikes in here and there, but most of today's practice was focused on Hinata. Even Tanaka noticed it, because he was less verbal than usual and he never once called the ball when Kageyama tossed.

For the longest time, after so many missed spikes, Kageyama was sure they were going nowhere.

Until…

Hinata jumped, right where he should be, and Kageyama tossed to him (a pinpoint toss, of course). Hinata swung his arm, and it lined up with the ball perfectly.

His palm hit the ball, and the ball hit the other side of the court.

Kageyama stared. Hinata hit the ground on his feet, also staring, even though he couldn't see. The entire gym fell silent once again.

But of course, silence never lasted long on the Karasuno team.

A loud, long, collective "HINATA!" resounded throughout the gym (Tsukishima actually covered his ears, even though he, too, looked proud of Hinata's accomplishment).

"You did it!" shouted Nishinoya, charging forward and raising his hands. "You did it you did it you did it you did it you did it! High-five!"

Hinata raised his hands, and Nishinoya smacked them.

"I told you you could do it," said Kageyama. "You idiot."

"Kageyama!" Hinata shouted, racing towards the setter's voice. He was beaming, almost insanely, but even so, it was nice to see Hinata smiling like this again. It was refreshing. "We did it! We did it! We did it!"

"Of course we did it," said Kageyama, but Hinata was no longer listening. He shouted to the next person, yelling, "Sugawara! Did you see that!? We did it!" and then on to the next member of the volleyball team.

Kageyama watched, and a wave of relief crashed over him. _We can do this_ , he thought. _This can work. It's going to_ have _to work._

They still had a long way to go, of course. This was only one perfectly hit spike out of the dozens Kageyama had tossed.

But even so…

...Everything started with a single step forward, right?

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **And here's the next installment of** _ **Learning to Fly With a Broken Wing**_ **! This one's a little more lighthearted than the first chapter (*cough cough* and it's also a little shorter too *cough cough*) but if it all goes the way I plan it should have some more angst…**

 **Oh, and in case you guys were wondering, Hinata's seeing-eye dog from the first chapter's "Bonus" section wasn't in this chapter because he's not actually** _ **here**_ **yet. He'll probably be in chapter 3, though (if I get that far…), but I wanted this chapter to mostly focus on Hinata and Kageyama's finding a way to work out the whole "blind-spiker" thing.**

 **And I'm gonna call the seeing-eye dog "Kags." I imagine it was kinda one of those things where Hinata was just joking about naming the dog after Kageyama, but then the dog started responding to it like it was his name and then it just kinda stuck. So yeah, if you ever hear me say (or write, I guess) "Kags" I mean the seeing-eye dog.**

 **I'm gonna have Hinata tell Kenma what's going on pretty soon (that's probably gonna hurt). The next chapter's probably just gonna be more fluff but I dunno. I really don't know where I'm going with this, only that I want to continue so I mean...yeah, I don't know.**

 **If you guys have any suggestions or ideas on what to do next I waNT THEM GIMME PLEASE. XD**

 **Anyways, before I go, I want to give shout-outs to the people who favorited/followed/reviewed so far! :D**

 **Shout-outs to: Cardfighter By Maple, Nona-96, KyoRina97, 7thScythe, Ancient Glory (who also reviewed thank you!), ayyyrahh, AnimeWolf56, Iris Patton (who also reviewed, too, thank you!), Yukio4 (YOU REVIEWED TOO YAY!), monkey76, and Saphirabrightscale! Thank you guys for following/favoriting! :D (I think that's everybody...let me know if I missed you and I'll put you in the shout-outs for the next chapter, 'kay? :D)**

 **And now, replies to the reviewers (including those who were mentioned above):**

 **Ancient Glory: Aw I'm glad you love it so far! :) If this chapter is any indication I think I'm probably going to continue at least for a little longer. :) Thanks for your review! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: Hahaha, I haven't written any Fairy Tail stuff in a while, have I? I might have to do another one sometime… But yeah, angst is pretty heavy but you're right, it does bring out emotions that would otherwise be dormant (which is probably the only real reason I write angst in the first place). I'm so glad you like it so far! :D I'll do my best to keep it up! :P Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **Iris Patton: OH HELLO THERE! *waves hands* It's been a while since I heard from you! How've you been? :D You should seriously watch Haikyuu! It's a whole load of fun and I promise you won't regret it! :D (I've watched it twice already and still want to watch it again :P). Thanks for the review! It's good to hear from you again! :D**

 **Jim777: Awwww thank you. :)**

 **Yukio4: I'm glad you enjoyed it! :) Hopefully you continue to do so! :D**

 **Guest (MJ): AWW THANK YOU! I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! It makes me happy! :D :D :D :D :D *hugs back***

 **HappyD: It's good to be back! :D OH MY GOSH I LOVE YOUR LIE IN APRIL! I watched it a little while back and I sobbed throughout it. :) Thanks for the review!**

 **And now, to anyone else who is reading this story but isn't favoriting/following/reviewing: Thanks for reading! :D Until next time! :)**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	3. The Takeoff

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **...**

 _From: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ _Hey Kageyama, my mom and sister have to go do some stuff today but they don't wanna go unless someone else comes over to watch me. You wanna come over or nah?_

Kageyama stared down at his phone, blinking. At first, he wondered how Hinata was able to send the text, being blind and all, but then he berated himself for thinking so.

 _He can probably still type on his phone just from memory,_ Kageyama thought, _or maybe he got his little sister to help him out._

He sent his reply very quickly.

 _From: Bakayama  
_ _Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ _Ok. What time?_

He shut his phone and waited. When it vibrated, he opened it again, reading Hinata's response.

 _From: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ _Um, in 10 minutes…?_

Kageyama blinked. _What?_

…

He actually _did_ make it there in ten minutes.

By running.

It was something he'd never done before and hopefully would never have to do again: run down the long sidewalks all the way to Hinata's house. About three quarters of the way there, he wondered _why_ , but then he brushed it off.

 _If our situations were reversed, Hinata would do the same thing for me_.

That thought alone was enough to keep him running.

When he arrived at the Hinata residence, he pulled his phone from his pocket, feeling more out of breath than he'd ever felt in his life. He pulled up Hinata's contact and sent a quick message.

 _To: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ _Ok I'm standing outside your house now_.

He waited a beat or two, and then he got his response.

 _To: Bakayama  
_ _Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ _Oh wait, seriously? I kind of was joking about the ten minutes thing..._

Kageyama seriously considered chucking his phone into the nearest trash can. Or maybe he'd just smash it to the ground instead. It would end faster that way.

His phone vibrated again.

 _To: Bakayama  
_ _Re: Oy, Bakayama!  
_ _But thanks for getting here so fast! :) :) :) Natsu's coming to get the door for you, so just hang on a sec._

Kageyama sighed. "Idiot," he muttered, stuffing his phone back into his pocket. A minute later, the door was answered by a tiny girl with bright orange hair and brown eyes. She blinked up at Kageyama.

It wasn't the first time Natsu and Kageyama had met each other. Hinata had introduced them, once, after Natsu complained about wanting to meet the "grouchy setter that nii-chan always talked about," so she knew exactly who he was.

Out of all the little kids he'd met (and he hadn't met very many of them), Natsu was the only one who hadn't run away screaming. It was kind of refreshing, to know that at least _one_ little kid wasn't scared of him.

"Are you staying with nii-chan today?" Natsu asked him, tilting her head to one side.

Kageyama nodded. "Yeah."

A very serious look suddenly crossed over Natsu's face, and she pointed one small finger up at Kageyama. "If you do anything to hurt my nii-chan," she said, almost _threateningly_ , "then I'll hurt you, too."

Kageyama blinked. _No wonder the kid's not scared of me, she's pretty terrifying too._

"Okay, I promise," he said, "I won't hurt your brother."

Natsu nodded firmly, and then she stepped out of the doorway to let Kageyama in.

…

"I don't think your sister trusts me," Kageyama told Hinata, once Hinata's mother and sister had left the house. Hinata was sitting on the couch in their living room, glancing in the general direction of Kageyama's voice. Laying at his feet was Hinata's seeing-eye dog, whom he'd named after Kageyama after realizing the dog's barks sounded suspiciously like "baka."

"Um, have you given her a reason to trust you?" Hinata asked, frowning.

"No," said Kageyama.

"Then there you go," said Hinata idly. "But don't worry about it too much, she warms up to people fast. I'm sure she'll trust you after today, as long as you don't try to murder me or anything."

"Why would I try to murder you?"

Hinata shrugged innocently - almost _too_ innocently - and looked away. "Dunno," he said. "It really makes no sense at all, seeing as how you have such a _great_ personality."

Kageyama glared.

"You know something?" said Hinata, turning his head back to him. "I can't see you at all, but I can almost _feel_ you glaring at me. Maybe I have a sixth sense. Or maybe it's just my subconscious instincts telling me to watch my back around you."

"Believe me, you should _definitely_ watch your back."

"See!?" said Hinata, gesturing madly with his hands. "And this is why my sister doesn't trust you!"

Kageyama sighed heavily. "I will try to be a little less…" He paused, thinking, looking for the right word. "...Threatening, in the future."

Hinata cocked his head. "Really? This should be interesting."

"Shut up."

"Aaaannnd you've already failed."

…

It was strange, hanging out with Hinata outside of school and volleyball. Not necessarily a _bad_ kind of strange, but still strange nonetheless. Kageyama couldn't remember a time he'd hung out with another friend before. He didn't quite know what to do in social situations like this, even though it was just him and one other person.

He and Hinata were currently sitting across from each other on the couch, a large gap between them where a deck of cards sat. Hinata and Kageyama were in the middle of War, and Hinata was winning.

Of course, Kageyama had to tell him what each card he flipped over actually was, but he didn't mind.

"Seven to six," said Kageyama, handing Hinata the two cards. "You win."

"Oh wow, another?" said Hinata. "Are you sure you aren't just giving me all the cards?"

"Do you really think I'm the kind of person who would do that?"

"Not really," said Hinata, "but it was worth a shot."

Hinata flipped over one card, and Kageyama flipped over one as well. "Nine to ten," said Kageyama, taking the cards. "I win."

It went on for a while longer, but it was getting really boring really quickly.

About three-quarters of the way through the game, Hinata spoke. "Oh! Bakayama! I wanted to show you something!" said Hinata, getting up, leaving his cards on the couch. "Come on, this way!"

Kageyama got up, and Hinata started off. "Wait, Hinata," Kageyama said, following him, "are you sure you know where you're going?"

"Nope!" said Hinata. "But Natsu helped me count how many steps it takes to get from one room to the other, so I think it's okay! Let's see...um...six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven…"

A few seconds later, he turned - and walked straight into a door. Kageyama winced, and Hinata took a step back, rubbing his head. "Ow! Dangit, I forgot we kept the office door shut…"

He reached blindly until he grabbed the doorknob, and then, he stepped into the room. "I'm learning braille!" said Hinata to Kageyama, and then, under his breath, "Okay, four steps to the desk...here it is!"

Hinata grabbed a small rectangular plaque of the desk and spun around, thrusting it towards Kageyama, looking unbelievably proud of himself. "I bet you don't know what braille is, do you, Bakayama?"

"No, I do," said Kageyama, inspecting the object in Hinata's hands. Small, raised dots decorated the plaque. "It's a raised print for people who either can't see or have a hard time seeing, right?"

The smile was wiped off Hinata's face in an instant. "Aw, man!" Hinata groaned, facepalming with one hand. "I thought I'd finally known something you didn't…"

Kageyama ignored this comment and continued looking at the braille board. It was pretty impressive, actually, and Kageyama respected anyone who could learn it.

"I'm not giving up!" said Hinata, once again grinning, and he set the plaque back on the office desk. "That's what this means! I don't _want_ to give up! I won't let it stop me!"

Kageyama watched him. He knew Hinata's words weren't necessarily directed to Kageyama, but to himself as well. He was trying to convince himself not to give up, not to be stopped, to keep moving forward.

"Yeah," Kageyama agreed, nodding.

…

The next day - a Monday morning. Geez, Kageyama hated Mondays - Kageyama passed Hinata and his seeing-eye dog in the hall in between classes at school. Hinata's service dog had gotten used to the school grounds by now and had learned how to lead Hinata depending on where Hinata wanted to go.

It was pretty incredible, actually. Kageyama would have to mention it again to the team; he was sure they'd love to hear how much getting a seeing-eye dog was helping Hinata.

"Oy, Hinata," said Kageyama, and Hinata stopped suddenly, turning to look at him. For once, the school's hallway was empty, with just Hinata, Kageyama, and the dog present.

"Oh, Kageyama," said Hinata. And then, he frowned. "Wait, isn't your class in the other direction?"

"Yeah," said Kageyama. "I forgot something in another classroom. I'm going to go get it." It was a lie, one that Hinata didn't see through (to Kageyama's relief). In reality, Kageyama knew Hinata would be coming this way between classes and wanted to make sure he was getting around okay, which he was, apparently, thanks to the seeing-eye dog.

"Oh, okay," Hinata said, and it looked like he was about to walk off, but at the last second, he stopped. "Hey, Kageyama, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure, what?"

"Um...I was wondering," said Hinata (the dog sat by his side, waiting obediently for the next time they would move), "just...um...about my eyes…"

Kageyama frowned, already fearing the direction this was going. "Yeah, what about them?"

"Do they…" Hinata paused again and shifted his weight, sounding and looking very uncomfortable. "Do they look weird?"

Kageyama looked at Hinata's eyes, clouded and fogged, a strange mix of gray and blue where brown used to be. He didn't say anything, but his mind was working overtime.

 _Why is he suddenly asking this?_ Kageyama wondered, and then, he thought up an answer.

He balled his fists. His fury flared. "Did someone tell you they looked weird?" Kageyama growled out. If someone had _dared_ tell Hinata something even remotely _like_ that, well...Kageyama wasn't quite sure _what_ he would do, but it would probably get him suspended for at least a month.

"What? Wait, no!" Hinata said, putting up his hands and shaking his head instantly. "No, no one said anything like that! I'm friends with most of the people in my age group, they wouldn't tell me stuff like that. They're all really nice and sensitive."

It was always pretty obvious when Hinata was lying, and right now, he was definitely _not_ lying. Kageyama felt a little better knowing Hinata wasn't getting bullied, but at the same time…

"Why are you suddenly wondering this?" Kageyama asked. It wasn't like Hinata had seen his eyes in a mirror and was wondering what they looked like to everyone else. There had to have been an outside source telling him this information.

Hinata scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, his other hand still holding onto his dog's harness. "I bumped into Yachi between classes earlier," said Hinata slowly, "and she seemed kind of...distracted. I couldn't figure out why until after I walked away."

"You think she got freaked out by your eyes or something?" Kageyama questioned, and Hinata nodded shyly.

Okay, well, sure, Kageyama been a little bit unsettled when he first saw Hinata's blind eyes, but that was only because of the fact that Hinata was _blind_. The actual state of Hinata's eyes didn't bother him that much, but he could understand why Yachi would be distracted by Hinata's eyes (or maybe even a little bit unsettled).

Even though Yachi would never do anything to intentionally hurt anybody's feelings, least of all Hinata's, Kageyama knew that this most recent development hurt Hinata a lot more than he was letting on.

"...They're different," said Kageyama finally, answering Hinata's initial question. "They're different, but no, I don't think they look weird."

Hinata blinked at him, and then turned his head towards the ground again. "You're not just saying that to be nice, are you?" he asked.

Kageyama opened his mouth to speak, but Hinata beat him to the punch.

"Nevermind, you don't need to answer that, I already know," said Hinata, shaking his head. "Thanks, Kageyama!" He started walking, his dog got up, and they headed back down the hall, leaving Kageyama in their wake.

It took Kageyama a second, but then he realized the extent of Hinata's words.

"IDIOT, ARE YOU SAYING I'M NOT NICE!? I'M PLENTY NICE!"

"Oh, is that so? Well, tell me again when you can back it up!"

"HINATA!"

...

The team practiced again in the gym the same day after school, and this match was much different from their last match. Kageyama's tosses matched with Hinata's spike almost seventy percent of the time, and each time, Hinata did a small victory cheer before launching right back into the game.

They were doing great. Everything was fine. Hinata was blocked by Tsukishima a few times, but for the most part, whenever Kageyama thought Hinata would be blocked, he'd send it to a different spiker, leaving Hinata to fill in the position of decoy (the position he filled in best).

Once or twice, Nishinoya of the opposite side would manage to receive one of Hinata's spikes, but they were seldom in number.

At first, Kageyama had worried the team would hold back, would purposefully not block Hinata's spikes, or purposefully miss receiving balls that would be easy to receive, but the team was giving it their all, like they always did.

It was like nothing had changed.

 _It's a good thing,_ said Kageyama, setting the ball to Hinata, who spiked it hard against the other side of the court. _I'm sure if they were holding back, Hinata would figure it out sooner or later. They aren't pitying him; at least not on the outside._

Kageyama knew Hinata appreciated this, probably more than he'd ever let on.

Yachi and Kiyoko weren't present for this practice (they were at an all-club managers' meeting and couldn't make it) but everyone else was, so it was a very thorough practice for everyone involved.

Kageyama set the ball to Tanaka, and Tanaka pulled through, like he always did, landing another perfect spike on the other side of the court. Tanaka cheered, Hinata joined him, and they were right back to it.

Everything was going perfectly today. They were all practicing, Hinata was getting his spikes in, Nishinoya was doing insane dives to catch stray balls, Sugawara was setting to Asahi and Daichi, and of course everyone else was also doing their best.

This was probably one of the most successful practices they'd had in a while. So far, the only things Hinata really struggled with was serving, and of course he couldn't receive, but that was okay. They could deal with that.

The fact that Hinata was standing on the court with the rest of them was enough.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Is it just me or are these chapters getting shorter? :/ I wish I'd known I was going to make this a multi-chap fic before I posted the first chapter, or else I would have put that deleted scene at the beginning of this chapter. But oh well, you write and you learn, it's no problem at all. Generally my chapters tend to be about 2,000-3,000 words long, but since this was originally a one-shot that first chapter was like 8,000 words long.**

 **I generally tend to write shortish chapters so you guys can read them without having to commit yourself to reading 8,000 words each chapter in case you have better stuff to do.**

 **So anyways the next chapter is going to be...mostly angst, actually. I'm sorry but I have to do it for the story's sake. And the next chapter's gonna be closer to the length of the first chapter, so, yeah. Probably somewhere between 4,000 and 8,000 words, I dunno.**

 **Oh, and now, shout-outs to everyone who has favorited/followed/reviewed so far! :) For the followers/favoriters:** **7thScythe, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, Cardfighter By Maple, Dutchess Frost, GAARA12223, Iris Patton, KyoRina97, LostSilva, Monki91, NKelley756, Nona-96, RepeatingSimplePhrases, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yukio4, ayyyrahh, monkey76, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, Lexihenning12** **and LucarioLilySH! Thank you for favoriting/following this story!**

 **And now for the reviewers (including those who also favorited/followed):**

 **Iris Patton: Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you feel better! It stinks, getting sick. :( You're welcome! You don't need to thank me; I'm just looking out for a friend. ;) A bad day for Hinata, you ask? I'm pretty sure that's definitely going to happen pretty soon. (Poor Hinata...we fanfiction writers always seem to target the characters who don't deserve it.) No, I haven't watched the new season yet, but I seriously need to! I've heard it's amazing! :) Thanks for the review (and get better soon! :D)!**

 **Guest** **(#1): Okay! *new chapter* XD**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Emotional rollar coaster, aye? Yeah, you're probably right. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Turtles18: Trying to make you cry? *discreetly hides angst behind back* Now why would I do that? XD Well, I'm glad you seem to be enjoying the story! I hope you continue to do so! :D Thanks for reviewing! :)**

 **TarantulaLove: Oh boy...I'm pretty sure if "feels" were an actual weapon a lot of people would be charged of murder...myself included, it appears. Whoops. Well, I'm glad you like the story! XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Guest (#2): Heh heh, sorry about that...usually it doesn't take me this long to update, but some stories are harder to write than others. But I'm glad you enjoy my stuff! :D I hope you'll stick around despite my random updating schedule! :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **And that's that, everyone! I hope you guys keep reading, and if you keep giving me ideas it'll probably end up being a longer story as a whole.**

 **OH, and I think the next chapter is gonna be partially in Hinata's POV, so we'll get a new viewpoint for a little while. :)**

 **Anyways, thank you guys for reading! Until the next chapter! :)**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	4. The Fall

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****I have to warn everybody before this chapter. At first I wasn't going to because of a sort-of spoiler, but then I thought it was important, so here it is: there are graphic descriptions of a panic attack in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable reading such material, feel free to skip this chapter/use discretion while reading. Just wanted to let everybody know.*****

 **...**

After practice, while Hinata was in the club room, his phone rang. No one else was around; no one else but his service dog, whom he'd nicknamed Kags (because it was hard to keep track of two Kageyamas). Hinata frowned and pulled his phone from his pocket; Kags sat obediently by his side, waiting.

Hinata couldn't see the contact, of course, so he flipped his phone open and blindly pressed the "OK" button (he'd used his phone often enough in the past to know where it was).

He held the phone to his ear, waiting. "Hello?"

" _Hi Shōyō, it's Kenma_ , _"_ the voice on the other end of the line said, and instantly, Hinata brightened up. It'd been so long since he'd heard from Kenma, and it was especially rare to get a _call_ from him. Kenma was far more of a texting person than he was a talking person.

"Oh! Kenma!" said Hinata, his mood brightened just a bit. "How are you?"

" _I'm fine,"_ said Kenma quietly. _"You haven't been answering my texts like you usually do, so...I wanted to check up on you and make sure you were okay. Are you?"_

Hinata blanched. His mood plummeted. "O-Oh…" he said. "Um, yeah, I'm okay…"

He hadn't told Kenma about the accident. Really the only people who knew about the accident outside his family were his school and his team, but no one else. He hadn't told Kenma, or anyone at Nekoma.

Honestly...he hadn't really known how to. Hinata was still trying to accept the fact that he was blind, and he wasn't ready to go telling other people about it, because if it did, it would mean that he'd accepted it, and he wasn't ready to accept it yet.

The entire world as he knew it was just suddenly…

 _...Gone_.

He hadn't had much time to think about it. Hadn't _given_ himself much time to think about it. He tried to pretend it hadn't happened, but there was no denying the truth. There was no denying the thing that was right before him.

No denying the fact that he couldn't actually _see_ anything right before him.

And besides, even if he _was_ ready to accept reality, there was no right way to bring it up in conversation. He couldn't just text Kenma and say "Oh by the way, I'm blind now, so how's the weather?" There was no good way to bring it up.

But now, Kenma had subconsciously brought it up by asking Hinata whether or not he was okay.

"Actually, Kenma…" Hinata backtracked, "there's...there's something I kinda need to tell you."

 _"Okay. What is it?"_ That was something Hinata had always appreciated about Kenma. He was never demanding, always quick to listen and slow to speak. It was a good trait, one Hinata respected.

"Um...well...a while ago," Hinata said, biting his lip. "There was...um...sort of an accident."

 _"'Sort of' an accident?"_

"Um, no, there _was_ an accident," Hinata clarified. "You see, it was late, and me and a couple of the guys from Karasuno were heading down the road, and, um…" He stopped for a moment, wondering whether he should continue. "...I was kind of hit by a car."

Silence.

 _"You were...hit by a car?"_ Kenma sounded disbelieving, and rightfully so. After all, it wasn't every day your friend told you they'd been hit by a car.

"Um, yeah, I was," said Hinata.

" _You're serious,"_ said Kenma. _"You're a goofball, but you wouldn't kid around about something like this. Are...are you okay now?"_

Hinata shook his head even though he knew Kenma couldn't see it over the phone. _Here it goes. There's no backing out on it now._ "Not exactly," he said. "I'm...I-I'm...blind."

There. It was out. He hadn't wanted to say it. Hadn't wanted to be the one to spill the truth to Kenma, but the reality of it was true nonetheless.

 _I'm blind. Not sort of blind, either, but completely one-hundred percent blind._

He waited, feeling his breath hitch. Kenma hadn't replied, and for some reason, this just made Hinata feel worse. "K-Kenma?" he asked hesitantly. "D-Did you hear me?" Oh, he really, really hoped Kenma heard him the first time because he really, really, _really_ didn't want to repeat it.

There was more silence.

" _I'm coming over."_

Hinata jumped, just slightly. For a moment, he'd thought Kenma had hung up. "Y-You're what?" Hinata asked.

" _I said I'm coming over,"_ said Kenma. _"To see you."_

"W-Wait," Hinata protested, "you don't have to do that, you have school and practice and-"

" _You're more important. I should be there tomorrow or the next day after that. Don't bother meeting me at the station or anything, either."_

"W-Wait, Kenma-"

" _Bye, Shōyō."_

 _Click._

Hinata had opened his mouth to retort, but the call was terminated before he even had the chance to. He stared down at his phone in his hand - neither of which he could see anymore - and his mind raced.

 _Now I've worried Kenma,_ he thought, gritting his teeth. _First everyone from Karasuno, and now Kenma. What's next?_

He felt so...so... _lost_. Lost in a sea of darkness, only this time, there was no resurfacing. This was a sea he would continue to be in, possibly for the rest of his life.

He hadn't fully grasped the reality of the situation until this moment, and now, at this exact moment, everything - _everything_ \- came crashing down around him.

He dropped his phone, buried his face in his hands and stumbled backwards, nearly tripping over Kags in the process. He hit the wall and sank to the ground, pulling his knees tight against his chest and burying his face against them.

 _I'm blind_ , Hinata thought, and his heartbeat increased dramatically until it was pounding in his ears, every beat sounding like an amplified drum. _I'm blind I'm blind I'm blind and everyone's always worried about me because I'm blind I'm useless to the team I can't receive I can't serve I can barely spike I can't do it I can't do it I can't do it-_

And suddenly, he couldn't breathe. He tried breathing, he really did, but it was like there were metal bands wrapped around his chest. A lump clogged his throat and _he couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe._

Kags was frenzied, nuzzling Hinata over and over and over again, but Hinata couldn't focus on him anymore. Couldn't focus on _anything_ anymore. He just sat there, alone, in the darkness of his own reality with his chest constricted and his thoughts racing.

 _I'm going to die. I'm going to die. I'm going to die._

He couldn't breathe he couldn't breathe _he couldn't breathe_ and he didn't know _why_ and it was terrifying. He couldn't see anything. Just a vast expanse of darkness that stretched on forever. That was all he could see. There was no Sugawara, there was no Daichi, there was no Nishinoya or Tanaka or Narita or Ennoshita or Yachi or Asahi or Kageyama or _anyone_.

It was just him alone in this darkness, and the darkness was closing in on him even more than before. He still couldn't breathe. He literally felt like he was going to die. His thoughts suddenly didn't make sense anymore, and the only thing he knew was the ever existing and impending darkness. It was both already there, and lurking, waiting to swallow him up and it was _terrifying_.

 _I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe I can't breathe–_

He wanted to scream. Couldn't. He wanted to breathe. Couldn't. He wanted to _see again._ Couldn't.

 _Please, someone…_

 _...Help me…_

…

 _Hinata's been gone for a while_ , Kageyama though, as he headed down the door-lined hallway towards the club room. _Wasn't he just grabbing his jacket? It shouldn't be taking him this long…_

But considering it was Hinata, Kageyama knew he shouldn't have been all that surprised. Hinata had taken _ages_ to do tasks that would take a normal person five minutes.

 _So why do I feel so...uneasy?_ Kageyama wondered to himself. Was it because Hinata was blind now? Kageyama didn't want to think about it, but now...Hinata was _disabled_. And Kageyama was, admittedly, a bit worried by the fact that he hadn't returned to the gym yet.

When he made it to the club room, he opened the door without hesitation.

And then, he stared at the sight before his eyes in complete shock - and maybe a little bit of horror.

Hinata, his knees held impossibly tight to his chest, was shaking, pressed against the club room's far wall. The service dog was nudging him, but to no effect. It was like Hinata didn't even know he was there.

Kageyama hadn't seen Hinata look this bad since…

 _Since Hinata was unconscious in the hospital, right after the accident._

For a moment, Kageyama stood there, staring.

And then, that moment ended.

"Hinata!" he shouted, and he charged over instantly, not knowing what to do but wanting to do _something_. He didn't know what was wrong, either, but whatever it was, it definitely wasn't _good_.

"Hinata, what's wrong!?" Kageyama demanded, grabbing Hinata by the shoulders before he could think twice. Hinata flinched and jumped more violently than ever before, and he stared up into Kageyama's face, almost as if he could really see it.

"I...I can't…" Hinata choked out words, but they were so broken Kageyama could barely make them out. Kageyama's heart rate increased. This. Was. _Bad_.

"You can't what? Hinata, _talk to me!"_ Kageyama snapped, angry because he was scared, and Hinata jumped again.

"I c-can't...breathe…"

Kageyama paled. _Please tell me he didn't just say what I think he just said_.

But the longer he looked at Hinata, the more sense it made. Kageyama had an idea of what was happening. He'd heard about panic attacks before, but this was the first time he'd witnessed one, and it was terrifying.

" _SUGAWARA! DAICHI! ANYBODY!"_ Kageyama yelled as loudly as he possibly could, because he didn't know what to do in this situation but he was sure there was someone on the Karasuno team who did. Kageyama just prayed that someone had heard him because if they didn't…

"It's okay, Hinata, it's okay," Kageyama said, trying to sound as calming as he could (which wasn't easy as he wanted to yank at his hair and scream for all he was worth). He carefully put his arms around the shorter and held fast.

He hadn't been there for Hinata when the accident first happened, but he'd give up volleyball before he let Hinata suffer alone again.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's okay…"

He knew he was bad at this. He'd never been good with people in _good_ situations, let alone _this_ one. This situation far surpassed "bad" or even "horrible." This situation was in a category all of its own.

But whether he was good or bad at it or not, at this point, he must have been enough, because Hinata clung to him like Kageyama was the only thing anchoring him to the world.

Kageyama wondered what kind of panic had driven Hinata to this state. He wondered what it would be like, to have darkness as your reality without being able to see any of the people you cared about. To not be one-hundred percent sure whether or not they were actually _there_.

Hinata's breaths were short and sharp and they hadn't improved at all since Kageyama barreled into the club room, and now the setter's panic was intensifying. _Where're Sugawara and Daichi when you need them!?_ he thought, his panic becoming anger which he aimed at anyone and anything that came to mind.

"Please breathe, please breathe, _breathe, you idiot…"_

Then, Kageyama remembered he had his phone on him and mentally thanked his past-self of five minutes ago for not leaving it in the gym. He whipped it out as fast as he possibly could and dialed the first number that came to mind: Daichi's.

There were a total of two and a half rings before Daichi picked up. _"Hello-"_

"DAICHI!" Kageyama yelled into his phone. He felt Hinata jump and heard him yelp, but he didn't calm down. He was a too freaked at the moment to even _think_ about calming down. "DAICHI, I'M IN THE CLUB ROOM, YOU HAVE TO GET OVER HERE!"

On the other end, he heard commotion, and then footsteps. Fast, heavy footsteps. Daichi (and probably the rest of the team) was running.

" _Kageyama, calm down, what's going on-?"_

"I DON'T KNOW!" Kageyama yelled back. "HINATA'S HAVING SOME SORT OF ATTACK, _I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!"_

" _Kageyama, you have to calm down-"_

"CALM DOWN!?" Kageyama could have laughed. _Calm down?_ Yeah right. He'd calm down and the ocean would dry up. "HOW DO I CALM DOWN!?"

" _Kageyama, LISTEN!"_ Daichi yelled, and when Daichi told you to listen, you listened (if you valued your life at all). Kageyama snapped his mouth shut, too terrified - for many reasons - to say anything else. _"You need to calm down! If Hinata is really having an attack like you said, then you need to calm down! Right now! You're just making it harder on him by panicking!"_

Kageyama took this to heart, and nodded mutely, trying to put Daichi's words into play. He took deep, calming breaths and tried to clear his head enough to think properly, and once he could, a lot of things were put into perspective.

"Okay," said Kageyama. "What do I do?"

" _Talk to him. Try and get him to calm down. We're on our way. Don't worry."_

"...Alright," said Kageyama, and he hung up so he could focus on Hinata. _Daichi and the others will be here soon_ , Kageyama thought. _Just stay calm until then. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down. Calm down._

"Calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down…" He found himself chanting this, both to Hinata and to himself (but mostly to Hinata). "Just calm down."

Hinata was trembling so hard it was almost unnatural, and the only thing he ever said was a broken, desperate, "I-I can't b-breathe-"

"I know it feels like that," said Kageyama firmly, "but you can breathe. You have to breathe. Relax and breathe, that's all you need to do."

It was something so simple but at the same time so difficult. It took what felt like forever before Hinata finally started to breathe relatively normally again. By this time, Kageyama was wondering just what the heck was taking the rest of the team so long to get here.

"I w-want to see," Hinata suddenly sobbed quietly, his voice shuddering and shaking, and he buried his face against Kageyama's shoulder. "I j-just w-want to s-s-see again."

Kageyama sucked in a sharp breath, feeling his chest tie into knots. "...I know."

"It's a-all I want."

"I know."

"I w-want it b-back."

"I know. _I know._ "

He knew, and it made him feel like someone was driving a knife into his gut and twisting it. Not for the first time, Kageyama wished it'd been him instead of Hinata. He wished Hinata hadn't been such a selfless idiot and put himself in danger when it should have been Kageyama's doom.

Hinata didn't deserve this. Was the world really such a cruel, twisted place?

Of course, Kageyama already knew the answer.

 _Yes. Yes it is._

The rest of the team got there just a few seconds later, in a flurry of panic, everyone talking at once until Sugawara shushed them. By that time, Hinata was out cold - passed out or sleeping, Kageyama didn't really know.

But it didn't really matter.

At least...

...At least he was in peace.

…

During his panic attack, Hinata hadn't been fully aware of anything, but the one thing he was able to make out in the midst of all the chaos in his mind was Kageyama's voice, angry at first and then uncharacteristically soft. He hadn't been aware of much in that darkness, but he was pretty sure that if Kageyama hadn't shown up when he did, Hinata would be back in the hospital - or maybe even worse.

After the incident in the club room, Hinata's mother picked him up and took him home, and that was how he came to be by himself up in his room on his bed that late afternoon, his head pounding and his chest still somewhat tight.

That fear, that panic...he never wanted to feel it again. He still hadn't fully recovered from it, either. He wondered, briefly, what he would do if it happened again in the middle of the night, if couldn't breathe and thereby couldn't call for help.

He rolled over on his side, pulling his blanket over his head. _I'm tired of being afraid_ , Hinata thought. _I'm tired of worrying everyone. I'm tired of crying. I'm tired of...of…_

Truth be told, he was tired of _everything_.

The only real comfort he currently had was Kags, his service dog. Hinata couldn't see him, but he could hear the dog's breath as he slept on the floor beside Hinata's bed. Kags had been a gift from his teammates, and whenever the dog was with him, even if no one else was, Hinata felt like a small part of his team was with him, too.

It was a special, comforting kind of feeling amidst all his fear and inner turmoil.

He was tired, but he couldn't sleep. His head hurt, and his chest did, too. So he stayed awake, listening to Kags breathing and trying to match it with his own. He didn't want to do anything else, not now at least.

Although there was peace in the room, there was chaos within him.

Then, the outer peace was broken by the sound of his phone ringing from his nightstand. Hinata opened his eyes - not that it made a difference - and pulled the blanket off his head, sitting up. Kags perked up for a second, and then laid down again when he realized Hinata wasn't actually getting up.

Hinata reached over blindly, grabbing his phone. Once again, he flipped it open without knowing who the caller was.

"Hello? Who is it?"

" _Take a guess, idiot."_

Hinata jumped. Out of all the people that could have been calling him, he hadn't expected Kageyama.

"Oh, it's you," said Hinata, feeling suddenly awkward. The last time Kageyama saw him, he'd been passed out in the back of his mother's car (according to Natsu), and right before that, in the middle of a vicious panic attack.

Hinata still had to thank him for his help, but he'd do it a little later. Right now, he would really rather _not_ think about what had happened earlier today.

" _So. You doing okay?"_ Kageyama questioned, and Hinata felt vaguely like he was being interrogated - but then again, he kind of _always_ felt that way when Kageyama asked him a question.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine," said Hinata, and it wasn't really a lie. He was feeling better than earlier. "My head kinda hurts, but I'm okay." He paused. "Listen, Kageyama, about earlier-"

" _I'm coming over."_

Hinata jumped, then paused. "Wha?"

" _You scared the living crap out of me. Again. I won't be able to sleep tonight anyway, so I'm coming over."_

Hinata still couldn't process this information. Something just wasn't clicking. "Wait, you're doing _what_ again?"

He wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure he heard Kageyama growl. Not groan or sigh, but _actually growl_. _"Idiot, how many times are you gonna make me say it!? I'M COMING OVER SO YOU DON'T FREAK OUT AGAIN AND_ DIE, _YOU IDIOT!"_

Hinata deadpanned. _What?_

" _You're still sleeping upstairs, aren't you!? You couldn't even hardly talk to me earlier, so how are you gonna call to your family if you need someone!?"_ Kageyama was still yelling at him, still as furious as before. _"I'm gonna come over and you're gonna deal with it, alright!?"_

"Wait, you mean...like a sleepover?"

" _IDIOT! DON'T MAKE IT SOUND STUPID! I'M JUST GONNA BE THERE SO YOU DON'T DIE ON EVERYONE!"_

Hinata jumped involuntarily, pulling his phone away from his ear. "Could you please stop yelling?" he said, just slightly annoyed. "And seriously, I'm actually not an idiot, Bakayama."

He'd half expected Kageyama to yell right back at him again, but instead, it seemed the setter actually calmed down.

" _Fine. I won't yell. But I'm still coming over."_

"That's...erm...kind of terrifying, actually."

" _You're gonna have to live with it."_

"We don't have any kind of spare futon or anything-"

" _The floor is fine."_

"I'd feel like a bad host-"

" _It's not like you invited me or anything. I don't care."_

"You really don't have to."

" _I'm going to."_

Hinata frowned, biting the inside of his cheek. "I'm sure I'll be fine…"

" _Yeah, maybe, but I don't know that. It's fine, seriously. Don't people usually have sleepovers, anyway?"_

"Um, yeah," said Hinata, "friends do, sometimes..."

" _So it's fine,"_ said Kageyama. _"Well, that's all. I'll be over in an hour or two."_

"...Okay," said Hinata, nodding. "I'll see you then, Bakayama."

" _Sure, idiot."_

 _Click_.

Hinata set his phone back on the nightstand and laid back, staring upwards, towards the ceiling he couldn't see.

It was kind of refreshing, the fact that even though Kageyama was definitely more protective of him as of late, the setter wasn't treating him any differently. They still argued, and Kageyama still called him "idiot" and Hinata still called him "Bakayama."

In times like these, Hinata liked to pretend that things hadn't changed at all.

Because now, nothing would ever be the same again.

He buried his face in his pillow and sobbed.

…

Hinata was tired of trying so hard to get by. He was tired of having to count his steps on the court. He was tired of relying on a service animal to get him through school to his different classes. Even around his own _home_ , he relied on Kags for the most part.

He wanted things to go back to the way they were before. He wanted to go back to spiking Kageyama's tosses effortlessly, just like he used to. He wanted to go back to skipping through the halls between classes, maybe bumping into Yachi and having her help him with his studying. He wanted to go back to reading - normal reading, not listening to an audiobook or using braille.

He just wanted things to back to the way they were before…

Before he was _blinded_.

Today was a bad day. _He_ was having a bad day.

The day after his panic attack, he went to school, like he usually did, with Kags the service dog leading the way. After that came practice at the gym with the rest of the gang. He didn't necessarily want to go, but he didn't want to miss it, either.

In the past, volleyball had been sort of an escape when the rest of the world seemed against him. He was failing his grades? He'd go play volleyball. He had a bad day? He'd go play volleyball. Someone was a jerk? He'd go play volleyball.

But now volleyball was more of a challenge than an escape and he didn't know how to deal with it yet. Maybe he'd never know how to deal with it?

It didn't matter, anyways. Not anymore.

Practice was...awful. He tried and failed so many spikes it was ridiculous. He was pretty sure that even when he was little, when he was just learning how to spike, he didn't miss this many.

It was pathetic. He felt pathetic, and though he couldn't see them, he knew the rest of the team was constantly watching him, probably making sure he didn't run into something or someone.

Hinata hated it. He hated them worrying. He hated being the center of attention. Okay, so when he was decoy on the court, sure, that was different. He didn't mind being in the spotlight _then_ because in that situation being in the spotlight was his _job_.

But right now...he was the center of attention because he was _different_. Because he was _disabled_.

He didn't know why, but...it hurt. It hurt _a lot_. It hurt more than he would ever admit to anyone else.

Practice didn't end soon enough. Or maybe it actually ended sooner than usual? He didn't know and he didn't care. If it ended earlier than usual, it was because someone - probably Daichi or Sugawara - had decided to end it because of him. Because he was struggling through it.

 _Which means it's my fault everyone else missed out on practice time._

"Is it alright if we stay behind and practice some more?" Kageyama's voice carried over Hinata's thoughts. Kageyama didn't specify who "we" was, but Hinata assumed he meant himself and Hinata. "I promise I'll lock up."

There was a pause, and then Daichi said, "Alright. Don't stay out too late," and Kageyama agreed, and there were footsteps and shuffling until finally, the gym's doors closed behind the rest of the team, signaling their departure.

"What's with you today?" Kageyama asked Hinata once they were alone. Kageyama didn't sound angry or frustrated, but genuinely confused. "Something up?"

Hinata swallowed. Didn't answer.

"Listen...I know we've never been close 'friends', exactly," Kageyama started, "but you can tell me anything. If something's wrong-"

"There's nothing wrong," Hinata said, trying to sound as lighthearted as possible, and he even flashed a smile, one he hoped didn't look as fake as it felt. "I'm fine, really."

"You keep saying that," said Kageyama, sounding irritated, "but I still don't believe you. Before this, I thought that if you said you were fine, then that was it, and I left you alone. After all, it wasn't my business. But now it's different. If you're pretending you're fine just because you don't want to feel like you're burdening us...that's different."

Hinata didn't like this. He didn't like Kageyama worrying about him. It felt so weird and so _wrong_. Kageyama shouldn't be worrying about him. He'd never worried before, so why did he have to worry now?

Something suddenly snapped inside him, and his built-up frustration came boiling to the surface in a string of loud words.

" _STOP TREATING ME LIKE I'M HELPLESS!"_ Hinata shouted in the direction of Kageyama's voice.

He wasn't sure who was more shocked by the outburst, him or Kageyama, but he decided it didn't matter.

"THERE'S NOTHING WRONG!" he yelled, feeling both furious and sad both at once. It was an odd combination. "I SAID I'M FINE SO JUST _LEAVE ME ALONE!"_

His voice cracked, and his eyes stung. _I'm so tired of crying. Please just make this stop._

"Hinata, you and I both know that's just a load of crap!" Kageyama yelled at him, and suddenly there were hands on his shoulders, shaking him. "You're _not_ fine and you know it! Why else do you think we're all so worried about you, _you idiot!?_ "

Kageyama's voice cracked, too. This startled Hinata more than anything.

"Nishinoya and Tanaka, Daichi, Sugawara, Yamaguchi, _freaking Tsukishima_... _everyone_...even me!" Kageyama said. "You're important to every single one of us, you idiot! We _care_ about you!"

He heard Kageyama clench his teeth and breathe in sharply.

"So why do you keep trying to push us all away!?" Kageyama asked him, sounding almost _desperate_. "Why? What for? Do you think if you lie long and hard enough we'll start to believe it!? Who do you think you're helping by keeping us in the dark like this!?"

"This isn't your problem!" Hinata countered, shifting his feet into an almost fighting stance. "It doesn't involve anyone else! This is my problem and my problem to deal with! _It has nothing to do with you!"_

" _You're wrong!"_ Kageyama yelled, shaking him again. "You're _wrong_ , you _idiot!_ When you're suffering, it doesn't just affect you! It affects everyone who cares about you, so don't you _dare_ say it has nothing to do with us! You're fighting a battle and we don't want you to do it alone! _We want to help you, idiot, so stop pushing us away!"_

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" Hinata yelled, and he jerked back, trying to yank himself out of Kageyama's hold. But Kageyama held fast, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free. Kageyama had always been the stronger of the two, so Hinata never really stood a chance.

"Let me go, Kageyama!"

"No, I won't!" Kageyama shouted, squeezing his shoulders even tighter. "Not until you listen to me!"

"No! _Stop!"_ Hinata screamed, choking mid-way. _Stop crying stop crying stop crying stop crying._ "This isn't something you can _fix_ , Kageyama! You can't _do anything_ for me so just _go away!"_

He hated this. It was a problem he couldn't fix, something that couldn't be helped, something that, no matter what he or anyone else did, would never be resolved.

He was blind. There would be no changing that, now or in the future. There was no escaping this dark reality no matter how much he wanted to. This darkness was his entire world now and he didn't know how to cope with it.

He was trying. He was failing. And he was lying, and he knew it, and so did Kageyama.

But he still didn't back down.

" _I'M FINE! I SAID I'M FINE, KAGEYAMA!"_

 _I'm lying_.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR HELP! I NEVER WANTED YOUR HELP!"

 _I'm lying_.

"SO JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

 _I don't want to be alone_.

"NONE OF YOU CAN HELP ME!"

 _Please help me_.

" _FORGET ABOUT ME! I'M USELESS NOW, SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST GIVE UP!? "_

 _...Like I already have._

He expected Kageyama to say something. He expected Kageyama to yell at him, to continue the argument like the setter would do any other day, to maybe physically knock some sense into him…

But Kageyama didn't do any of that. He actually didn't say or do _anything_ , and frankly, his silence was the most stunning thing about this.

The gym, usually such a lively place, now echoed the screams of a suffering, sobbing teenager. And the silence that came afterwards was the most shocking thing of all.

Neither Kageyama or Hinata did anything for the longest moment.

And then suddenly, Kageyama's arms were around him tightly. Hinata jumped without thinking about it, shocked and confused both at once. Honestly, if Kageyama had smacked him him, Hinata would have been _less_ confused and shocked than he was now.

He'd been expecting a lot of things from Kageyama.

But a _hug_ definitely wasn't one of them.

He didn't react. Didn't move at all, actually. He just stood there, feeling trapped and constricted but also somehow _secure_ in Kageyama's embrace. He didn't understand how someone so terrifying could also make him feel so safe.

But even so…

"Let me go," Hinata said - or, actually, he pleaded, more like. His voice was small and hoarse from yelling. He was sure he sounded pathetic.

Kageyama's answer came right away. "No."

"Please let me go," Hinata tried again. He wanted Kageyama to let go of him, _right now,_ because if he didn't let go Hinata didn't think he'd be able to keep what was left of his composure intact.

But Kageyama was stubborn. "No."

"J-Just let me go."

"I refuse."

"Please."

"No. Not until you listen to me."

And Hinata fell silent.

"...You're not useless, and we're not giving up on you," Kageyama said quietly. "Even if you asked us to, we wouldn't even consider it for a second. I don't think you understand how hard it is for us to watch you suffer in silence. We're all sick of watching you pretend you're happy and 'fine' when you're obviously _not_."

"...It's useless," Hinata said lowly. "You guys have lives. I'll slow you down. It's not worth it-"

"You're wrong," Kageyama interrupted him. "You're _wrong_ , Hinata. It doesn't matter if the payoff's 'worth it' or not. It doesn't even matter if there _is_ a payoff. We're not doing this because we think we're going to get something in return. You're our friend and that's enough. _You're_ worth it."

Hinata didn't know what to say now. What _could_ he say now?

"Do you understand it now, idiot?" Kageyama snapped, but his voice was thick and strained. "We know you're not fine. We've always known, and that's _okay_. It's _okay_ to not be happy. It's okay to not be fine. It's okay to not be _okay_. But what's _not_ okay is you shutting yourself away and _pretending_ you're something you're not. _That's not okay_."

Kageyama was right. He was _right_. Hinata knew it from experience. He knew it from sleepless nights, from crying until he threw up, from fear, from anxiety, from just how blatantly _hard_ it was to keep up a facade.

"It's not okay to bottle everything up until you literally _drive yourself into a panic attack_ ," Kageyama told him firmly. "You just...you just end up hurting yourself. And us too. A whole lot more than you realize."

Hinata understood now. Finally, he understood it.

He wasn't alone in this battle. In some strange way, it was like volleyball. He couldn't fight on his own. He needed a team. He needed his friends.

This was the hardest challenge he'd ever faced, and now he realized that he didn't have to face it alone anymore. He wasn't alone. He'd _never been alone_ in the first place.

They were there. His team, his friends, they were _there_ for him, before and now and forever into the future. They weren't going to give up on him. They weren't going to let go.

"And, Hinata…"

Kageyama was still talking.

"...It's okay to cry, too."

And with those words, Hinata finally broke. His facade crashed to the ground as though it'd never existed and he _cried_. He cried like he'd never cried before and he wasn't ashamed by it, not anymore.

It was okay to be weak. It was okay to not always have the answers. It was okay to rely on others. It was okay to cry. He wasn't alone. He was surrounded by people who cared about him and would help him when he was at his lowest.

 _I'm not alone_.

And it could have just been his imagination, but he was pretty sure Kageyama was crying, too.

...

Hinata laid on his bed, facing the ceiling, with Kags lying right beside him. It was late. His mother and sister had already gone to bed downstairs about an hour or two after Kageyama walked Hinata home. Hinata didn't know what time it was now, but it had to be sometime after ten or eleven.

But he didn't know.

On his nightstand, he heard his phone _buzz_ (it was still on vibrate from practice earlier) and, curious, he reached over and grabbed it blindly. He flicked it open and held it to his ear.

" _You have three new messages,"_ the automated voice on his phone told him. He paused, thinking. Voicemails? It'd been a long time since he'd gotten a voicemail, let alone three. He pressed the "ok" button and moved the phone back to his ear, listening.

 _First new message, from Yamaguchi Tadashi, at 8:37 PM._

" _Hi, Hinata! It's Yamaguchi. Erm, so, you seemed like you were having a bad day, so I just wanted to let you know I'm always here if you need someone to talk to. I know I don't give the best advice, but I'm still here to talk. Call me any time, I promise I'll be there. Okay, that's all. Talk to you later."_

The message ended there. Hinata blinked a couple times at the phone, and then pushed a button blindly.

 _Message saved. New message, from Nishinoya-Senpai, at 8:43 PM._

" _Yo, Shōyō! Just wanted to let you know you're pretty amazing, persevering through practice like that. Honestly, you're really brave. Sorry, that was random. Anyways, I've decided to call in sick tomorrow, so if you're not busy we can hang out. I'll get you an ice cream."_

The message ended.

 _Message saved. New message, from Sugawara Kōshi, at 9:04 PM._

" _Hello, Hinata. Sorry for calling so late, you're probably resting. I just wanted to say I'm here to talk if you need somebody. Don't be afraid to call me. Oh, and Daichi says if you don't feel like coming to the club tomorrow, that's okay and don't worry about it. We need a break, anyway. Alright then, I'll see you later. Bye."_

 _Message saved. You have no new messages._

Hinata closed his phone and set it down on the nightstand again, a small smile on his face.

Before, he'd have been shocked by the messages, fearing that he'd burdened his friends yet again.

But now, ever since talking to Kageyama, ever since he finally began to _understand_ things from the team's perspective...it just made him happy. Happier than he'd felt in a long, long time. His friends...they genuinely _cared_ about him. He wasn't burdening them. Not before, and not now.

He wasn't alone. The darkness of his reality suddenly wasn't as scary as it had been before. He wasn't alone. He wasn't alone. He wasn't alone.

 _I'm not alone_.

He rolled over, putting his arms around Kags and closing his eyes, feeling oddly content and at peace.

He slept better that night than he'd slept in months.

* * *

 **Author's Note:**

 *****Edit: This chapter has now been proofread! Let me know if you found anything I missed!*****

 **This chapter was hard to write. It was really, really,** _ **really**_ **hard to write. Enough said. Up until now this entire thing was in Kageyama's POV so it was strange shifting to Hinata's, plus all the emotional heaviness was hard to capture, and plus the entire first scene and then Kageyama's and Hinata's argument and then everything in between that and...and...basically** _ **everything**_ **.**

 **So I hope I did okay…? :/**

 **Okay, so I think the story is going to end in the next chapter, but after that, I'm not opposed to writing some bonus side-chapters that fit in this universe. I just need some ideas before I can do that…**

 **I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN: I NEED IDEAS. I'M RUNNING SOLELY ON CAFFEINE AND FEELS NOW SO I NEED SOME ACTUAL** _ **IDEAS**_ **, OKAY? PLEASE IF YOU HAVE ANY SEND THEM MY WAY VIA REVIEW! I NEED THEM!**

 **On that note, the usual shout-outs, starting with the favoriters/followers:**

 **7thScythe, Ancient Glory,** **AnimeWolf56,** **ArchimedesAckermann, BlueThief,** **Bluehawk4, Cardfighter By Maple,** **Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose,** **GAARA12223, happycookie2300,** **Iris Patton, KyoRina97, LostSilva, m** **is for mochi, Monki91, NKelley756,** **Nona-96, RepeatingSimplePhrases,** **Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale,** **TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yukio4,** **ayyyrahh, monkey76, pantherlilly17,** **plomieniefeniksa, Lexihenning12** **and LucarioLilySH! Thank you for** **favoriting/following this story!**

 **For the reviewers:** **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Yeah, I** **wanted to put that in there. I love** **Natsu. :) I'm glad my update was** **able to brighten your mood! :D** **Thanks for the review (your reviews** **always brighten my day, too :D).**

 **happycookie2300: I know! I'm so** **proud of Hinata! :D Thank you for** **both your reviews! :D**

 **Iris Patton: You're welcome! :) I've** **heard about that! I seriously need to** **get with the times and catch up with** **that show! And yeah...you predicted** **it right! You know me too well!** **When everything looks like it's gonna** **be okay, that's when the angst** **strikes. I'm glad you're liking it so** **far, and thanks for the review! :D**

 **MJ (Guest): AWW THANK YOU** **SO MUCH! I know, angst is always** **really deep and emotional, which is** **why I love writing it. I'm so glad** **you're still enjoying the story! :D** **Thanks for reviewing!**

 **ColorQuill: I agree! :) I love** **Haikyuu! I just couldn't NOT write a** **fanfic for it. XD And** **hurt/comfort...is there really any** **other way to welcome yourself into a** **new fandom? XD Thanks for the** **review! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: That's good to hear!** **Honestly I was a little worried the** **chatacters were OOC, so it's good** **to know I'm doing good! :D I'm glad** **you love the story! :D Thanks for the** **review! :D**

 **So that's basically it! Please, if I missed your name in the follow/favorite/review list, let me know and I'll add it in the next round of shout outs! :D Thank you all so much for your feedback! It means so much to me! :D Once again, if you have any suggestions, I really want them! :D Anyways, thanks for reading, and I'll see you next time!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	5. The Healing

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

They cancelled club activities that next day, and honestly, Kageyama was pretty glad they'd decided to. Hinata was going through a lot as it was, and the last time they practiced, all it served to do was make him feel worse.

They didn't need that again. Anything that discouraged Hinata had to be stopped - or at least postponed, because Kageyama knew Hinata would never want to stop playing volleyball for very long.

 _I wonder if I went too far yesterday…_ Kageyama thought on his way to Karasuno, as he glanced down at his phone. He hadn't heard from Hinata at all since yesterday, and even though Hinata didn't usually text him or call him at this time of day, it still concerned Kageyama just slightly.

Maybe he should have backed off. Maybe he should have respected Hinata's privacy a little more...

But at the same time...maybe it was a _good_ thing. Maybe it was good that he hadn't backed off, hadn't respected Hinata's privacy.

Kageyama had always thought Hinata was the kind of person to never stop smiling. Someone who, no matter what happened, was an optimist through and through. And maybe that was the kind of person Hinata was.

But lately...yesterday, in particular...Hinata's eyes looked so _dead_. They looked so _dead_ and Hinata looked so blatantly _exhausted_ and _lost_ and _scared_ and Kageyama hated it. He hated watching Hinata try to get through this on his own. He hated watching Hinata slowly destroy himself.

It wasn't right.

He hoped Hinata realized just how much everyone cared about him now. If nothing he said yesterday helped Hinata, than Kageyama didn't know what else he could do.

 _I've done all I can,_ he thought, shoving his phone back into his pocket. _The rest is up to Hinata_.

He continued walking for a little ways until, just before he reached the school, his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and flicked it open, reading the text.

It was a text from Hinata, sent to the team's group chat.

 _Stupid Hinata: Hi guys. Um, I just wanted to say thank you for not giving up on me. I'll be sure to let you know if I need help next time. My mom's keeping me home from school today, so I won't be at club. Anyways, thank you. I appreciate it._

Kageyama stared down at the screen, and then sighed in relief. _Looks like what I told him_ did _get through_ , he thought. He was glad.

A few moments later, the rest of the team replied to Hinata's group message.

 _Nishinoya Yū: Of course, Shōyō! What kind of senpai would we be if we didn't look after our precious kohai? Oh, and I skipped school, just like I promised, so if you're not busy I'll come over later! :)_

 _Tsukishima Kei: You literally just said you skipped school in the group chat…_

 _Nishinoya Yū: Oh crap you're right. Daichi, pretend you didn't hear anything._

 _Sugawara Kōshi: Don't worry about it, Hinata! We're always here to help you!_

 _Yamaguchi Tadashi: Sugawara is right. You don't need to thank us at all!_

 _Tanaka Ryūnosuke: And anyone who disagrees can come fight me on it!_

 _Sawamura Daichi: No worries, Hinata. Make sure you tell us if you need anything. We cancelled club for today, too, so don't worry about missing._

 _Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Hey, where'd Yū go?_

 _Yamaguchi Tadashi: Daichi must have found him..._

 _Tsukishima Kei: Hahaha R.I.P._

 _Tanaka Ryūnosuke: YOU THINK YOU'RE FUNNY BUT YOU'RE NOT._

Kageyama waited a moment, thinking, and then he joined the fray, typing and sending a quick message.

 _Kageyama Tobio: Well no duh, idiot. Of course we'd never give up on you._

 _Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Is Kageyama trying to be nice?_

 _Kageyama Tobio: No._

 _Tanaka Ryūnosuke: Liar!_

 _Stupid Hinata: You guys are the best! Thank you! :) :) :) (And Daichi please don't be too angry at Nishinoya-senpai)_

Kageyama put his phone away and kept walking. All his friends were insane, at least in a small degree, but they were all reliable and supportive, which was exactly what Hinata needed right now.

…

 _From: Kozume Kenma  
_ _To: Hinata Shōyō  
_ _Re: Station  
_ _Hi Shōyō, our train arrives in an hour. I'll see you soon._

"Hey, Kageyama, can you read this for me?" Hinata asked, shoving his open phone into Kageyama's face. The duo was walking home from school the day after yesterday, with Kags doing the most of the leading.

"Yeah, sure," Kageyama said, taking the phone from Hinata's hands. He read the message and its sender out loud to Hinata, who instantly smiled brighter than he had in a while.

"Oh! I forgot! Kenma's coming!" said Hinata. "We should go meet him at the station!"

Kageyama frowned down at the phone. _When did Hinata tell Kenma about the accident?_ he wondered to himself, but said nothing. He figured the only thing that could make Nekoma's setter suddenly head to Karasuno was Hinata - specifically, an accident involving Hinata.

"Do you want to come?" Hinata asked, reaching out blindly, and Kageyama handed him back his phone.

"Idiot, I'm not letting you go alone," Kageyama muttered, scoffing.

"I won't be alone!" Hinata objected. "I've got Kags with me!"

The service animal barked as if in agreement. That obnoxious, unique bark that sounded suspiciously like _baka_ , and for some reason, Kageyama felt like it was directed towards him every time.

"I still can't believe you named it after me," Kageyama said, staring down at the dog.

"I didn't _mean_ to!" Hinata protested, sounding almost offended. "It was supposed to be a joke, but then he started responding to it, and he won't respond to any other name I give him!"

"It's your fault for being an idiot, idiot."

"I'm not an idiot!"

"Yes you are."

"Urgh! You know what, _fine!_ Be that way! I'll just go to the station by myself! _Byyye!"_ For emphasis, he spun on his heel and started walking in the other direction - unfortunately, the opposite direction in which the station was located.

Kageyama followed him. "And this is exactly why you're an idiot."

"Shut up!"

"But you're not denying it."

"Of course not, 'cause I know you won't listen!"

...

Once Kageyama finally steered Hinata in the right direction, the walk to the station took a little over half an hour, during which Hinata called his mother and explained the situation, that he was with Kageyama, and that he would be home somewhat later than usual.

Kageyama had realized recently that Hinata's mother was much more protective of him than usual, and rightfully so. Frankly, Kageyama was rather honored to know that Hinata's mother trusted him to look after her son.

Kageyama wasn't all that used to being trusted by people outside the volleyball club.

"Well, the train should be here soon," Hinata said. "We were walking for a while...what time does it come in?"

"Last I checked it was at five," Kageyama replied.

"Okay, so what time is it now?"

Kageyama looked around, located the nearest clock hanging over the station's entrance, and then answered, "Ten till."

"Great!" said Hinata, beaming. "So we got here just in time! I can't wait to see Kenma again!" He paused, pondering this for a moment. "Well, not technically _see_ him, but...eh, nevermind! It doesn't matter!"

The station was mostly empty at the moment, and for that Kageyama was glad. He'd never been very good in social situations to begin with. Plus the fact that Hinata was blind, and Kageyama didn't want to deal with strangers staring or whispering about him under their breath.

"When did you tell Kenma about what happened, Hinata?" Kageyama asked after a moment of silence. This was something he'd been wondering ever since he first read the message off Hinata's phone.

"Oh, not too long ago," said Hinata instantly. "It was...um…" He paused, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "The same day I had the panic attack…"

"Alright." Kageyama wanted to leave that subject as soon as possible. The incident still terrified him and he never wanted to think about it again. "Did he want you to meet him at the station?"

"Well…"

"He didn't, did he."

"He didn't say that!" Hinata said, waving his hands and shaking his head simultaneously. "He just said I didn't _need_ to! But I thought it'd be nice to meet him, don't you think?"

"Well, sure, but-"

Kageyama was cut off there; the train had arrived. There weren't many people on it, and it didn't take very long before Kageyama spotted Nekoma's setter getting off the train amidst the rest of the passengers.

"Do you see him?" Hinata asked restlessly. "I don't see him!"

"I know you don't, idiot," Kageyama said. "And yeah, I see him."

Kenma was stepping off the train with his head down, looking more shy than Kageyama had ever seen him. He was lugging a backpack over his shoulder that was almost the size of the setter's entire torso - Kageyama wondered if he'd packed for a long stay.

"Oh, you do?" Hinata asked, and then, suddenly, at the top of his voice, "KENMMMMMAAA!" He waved his hands over his head. "HI!"

Kageyama could have sworn poor Kenma leapt a foot in the air in shock. A couple of other passengers turned briefly, and then went right back to what they were doing. If they were regular passengers, they were probably used to seeing teenagers yell at each other.

"Shōyō," Kenma said quietly, once he'd gotten over his shock, and he made his way over, towards Kageyama and Hinata. The backpack seemed to be weighing him down. "What are you doing here? I told you you didn't have to meet me at the station..."

"But I wanted to!" Hinata insisted. "And Kageyama came with me!"

Kenma nodded in the other setter's direction in brief greeting. "Kageyama."

"Kenma," Kageyama greeted back with a nod. He could tell Kenma was trying to avoid looking into Hinata's eyes. It made sense; Kenma was probably still in denial regarding this whole situation, much like Kageyama was when he first realized the truth.

"So, do you have a place to stay?" Hinata asked.

Kenma looked down. "Not really…"

"Seriously? Okay, well, um, you can always stay with me at my house!" Hinata offered. Kageyama mentally sighed. Hinata, always so willing to help out. Kageyama didn't know how he did it.

Kenma looked mildly unsure, but not at all surprised. "You don't have to, Shōyō…"

"I know _that_ ," said Hinata, "but you didn't have to come all the way out here, either, so I think we're even!"

Kenma shifted his weight. "I'm just here to check on you...that's all…you don't owe me anything…"

In the end, though, when Hinata kept insisting over and over and over again, Kenma finally agreed.

...

Kenma didn't know what to think.

Ever since Shōyō first told him about the accident, Kenma hadn't known what he was feeling. All he knew was that he needed to go, right then and there, to see Shōyō. He knew that if he was in an accident, Shōyō wouldn't hesitate to go visit him, so it was only fair Kenma did the same.

"I'm going to Karasuno," Kenma had told Kuroo, as soon as he got off the phone with Shōyō. They had been in Nekoma's club room, winding down and packing up from practice with the rest of their team cleaning up the gym.

His captain had looked at him oddly. "Karasuno?" Kuroo had asked, frowning. "Why the sudden interest?" The captain had smirked jokingly. "You aren't planning on leaving us for them, are you?"

"Shōyō was in an accident," Kenma had said, sounding much firmer than he usually did when he spoke. "Apparently he was hit by a car."

The smirk was wiped off Kuroo's face instantly. "Shōyō?" he repeated. "Their number ten?"

Kenma had nodded, zipping up his duffle bag and pulling it over his shoulder. Kuroo was watching him, looking almost concerned.

"Man, that's rough. Is he okay?"

"That's what I'm going to see," Kenma had said.

"I should go with you."

"I'll go by myself."

It had taken a lot of arguing ("I'm going with you." "No you're not." "I'm going with you." "No you're not." "Fine.") before Kuroo finally relented. Kenma hadn't told him about the result of the accident, that Shōyō was now blind. Honestly, Kenma himself was just hoping Shōyō was joking, that this was all an elaborate scheme just to get his goat.

But when he saw Shōyō at the station, he knew it was no joke.

Shōyō was blind. Truly blind. He even had a service animal with him. It wasn't a joke. Kenma had hoped, hoped, and hoped again that this was all a prank, but then again, he knew that, despite the jokester Shōyō was, not even _he_ would stoop to this level.

Shōyō was really blind. Now that Kenma knew this for sure, he didn't know what to do. He had come to be moral support, but he wasn't good interacting with people. This never seemed to bother Shōyō, of course, and the Karasuno spiker seemed _thrilled_ when Kenma stepped off that train…

But still. Kenma wished he knew more about socializing. He'd actually done _internet_ research on how to interact with people, and if that didn't say everything about the state of his social life, not much else did.

Besides, this was an entirely different situation. He wasn't just "interacting" with someone. He was interacting with Shōyō, his first real friend outside his volleyball team, who was now blind due to some freak accident.

They parted ways with Kageyama a little further down the sidewalk towards Shōyō's house, and then, it was just Kenma, Shōyō, and the latter's seeing eye dog. Kenma glanced down at the dog's collar; an ID, marking him as a seeing eye dog, and then the dog's name.

 _Kags._

Kenma frowned. "You named your dog after Kageyama?" he asked.

"On accident," Hinata sighed heavily. "I didn't mean to. He just kinda started responding to it."

Kenma didn't understand, but he didn't elaborate, either. It wasn't important, after all.

When they reached Shōyō's house, they were welcomed in by Shōyō's mother, who was delighted that Kenma had come to visit her son. Kenma kept his head down while Shōyō told her that Kenma didn't have a place to stay and that he'd offered to let him stay with them, and Mrs. Hinata agreed that it was a wonderful idea.

"You have a nice family, Shōyō," Kenma remarked quietly a little later on, once he and Shōyō were upstairs. Shōyō's little sister Natsu had dragged blankets and spare pillows from a closet and set them up on the floor for Kenma. Despite Kenma not being super fond of people in general, somehow the Hinata family had found a place in his heart.

"Yeah, they're great," Shōyō agreed without a moment's hesitation. He sat down on the edge of his bed; Kags jumped up and laid beside him. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Nothing."

Shōyō looked almost offended. "Eh? That's not how sleepovers are supposed to work!" said Shōyō, like he was shocked by the fact that Kenma didn't know this.

"This isn't a normal 'sleepover,'" Kenma said, sitting down on the mound of blankets Natsu set up for him. "I'm here for _you_ , you didn't invite me over."

"Yeah I did!"

"I mean you didn't ask me to come here in the first place. On the train."

"Oh, right." Shōyō quieted down for a while. Only for a while, of course, as it _was_ Shōyō, who often times didn't seem to know the meaning of the word "quiet." "But I'm glad you came anyway, Kenma!" Shōyō said, smiling.

Kenma nodded, just faintly, but said nothing. He couldn't really find anything worth saying.

...

Later, when Shōyō was sleeping with his service dog curled right next to him, Kenma remained awake, fiddling with his phone (which he'd silenced the moment Shōyō fell asleep). Kenma usually stayed awake past unseemly hours, and it was only eleven at night, so he'd be up for a while more.

He wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep now even if he tried.

A message popped up on the screen, and he stared at the name of the sender.

 _Kuroo Tetsurō_.

Kenma really wasn't in the mood to speak with the captain - not even through texts, which wasn't technically talking - but he knew that if he ignored Kuroo, he'd just keep pestering until finally Kenma gave in.

So, begrudgingly, Kenma opened the message.

 _From: Kuroo Tetsurō  
_ _To: Kozume Kenma  
_ _Re: Trip  
_ _Oy, Kenma. Did you make it there?_

Kenma paused, and then typed back his quick response: _Yes._

He waited, knowing Kuroo would surely text back in a moment or two - and sure enough, he did.

 _From: Kuroo Tetsurō  
_ _To: Kozume Kenma  
_ _Re: Trip  
_ _So what's the word on Karasuno's ten? He's not seriously hurt, is he?_

Kenma typed and sent his reply within moments.

 _From: Kozume Kenma  
_ _To: Kuroo Tetsurō  
Re: Trip  
_ _It's Shōyō. I think he's okay. He looks exhausted though._

Honestly, that was one of the first things Kenma noticed about Shōyō when he saw him at the train station. Despite Shōyō's smile and cheery shouts, he looked more worn-down and blatantly _exhausted_ than Kenma had ever seen him.

He wondered if Kageyama had noticed, too. Kageyama certainly seemed to be spending more time around Shōyō than usual, just from what Kenma had seen so far (and he hadn't seen very much).

He'd caught a very defensive, almost protective vibe from Karasuno's setter earlier, almost like he was expecting some kind of assault and was keeping himself prepared for it. In all honestly, Kenma was glad. No one would dare bother Shōyō so long as Kageyama was around.

Kuroo's reply popped up another moment later.

 _From: Kuroo Tetsurō  
_ _To: Kozume Kenma  
_ _Re: Trip  
_ _Right, makes sense. Tell him hey from me._

 _From: Kozume Kenma  
_ _To: Kuroo Tetsurō  
Re: Trip  
_ _Maybe._

Kuroo didn't text him again after that. He must have realized that Kenma was done talking for now. Kenma stuffed his phone back into his backpack and sat there in the dark. Usually, he'd pull out one of his pocket games and play until early morning, but he didn't feel like doing that now.

He actually didn't feel like doing much of anything right now.

Kenma wasn't planning on staying for very long; just long enough to check on Shōyō and make sure he was really okay, as he'd claimed he was. Kenma knew that Shōyō was definitely the kind of person to deny there was anything wrong until he literally broke - mentally or physically.

Of course, chances were Shōyō would never tell Kenma if he was struggling - it just wasn't the kind of person he was.

But if Shōyō wouldn't tell him…

Kenma knew someone who would.

…

" _...Hang on...Who is it…?"_

"Kageyama, it's Kenma," Kenma said, as soon as he heard the groggy, sleep-thick voice of Kageyama through the phone's receiver. It was late, and he knew Kageyama had probably been sleeping , but he couldn't care about that right now. He had questions that needed answering and the person most suited to answer those questions was the protective Kageyama Tobio.

 _"What? Kenma?"_ Kageyama sounded just a bit more awake, but not by much. _"How did you even get my number?"_

"I borrowed it from Shōyō," Kenma said, glancing up at Shōyō's phone, which sat on the nightstand of his bed. He made sure to keep his voice down; Shōyō seemed to be sleeping pretty heavily, but Kenma would still feel horrible if he woke him up.

"I want to know how Shōyō's really been doing," Kenma told Kageyama, and there was a small, unspoken threat behind those words. "I know he won't tell me directly, even if I asked him to, so I wanted to hear it from you."

He heard Kageyama shift on the other line; he was probably sitting up. He must have been sleeping when Kenma called.

" _Well…"_ Kageyama sounded uncertain, _"it's a lot to go over…"_

"I don't mind." And honestly, Kenma didn't. This was something he had to know, and he trusted Kageyama would give him the truth - the stone-cold truth, with no sugarcoating whatsoever.

" _Okay...guess I'll start from the top…"_ By the sound of it, this was _not_ information Kageyama wanted to be relieving - or _reliving_ , either. Kenma mentally braced himself, though physically, he did nothing.

" _It happened a while ago,"_ Kageyama started. _"Hinata didn't actually tell you about it until recently. It happened...I don't know...over a month ago. Maybe two months? I don't remember."_

Kenma had figured it had happened a long time ago. After all, if it'd happened more recently, Shōyō would either be in the hospital or home recovering - definitely not waiting to greet Kenma at the train station.

" _When it first happened, and even a while after that, it was...hard_ ," Kageyama went on, but his voice was slowing down.

 _He really doesn't want to talk about it_ , Kenma thought, but said nothing.

" _...Hinata just...he kept pretending he was alright,"_ Kageyama said. _"He wouldn't let us help him, or even tell us if he needed help. He almost quit volleyball, actually. But recently...he's...he's been doing better."_

"How recently?"

" _Since yesterday. I finally got the message through his thick skull. I told him he was making it harder on us and himself by pretending he was alright when he wasn't. I think he got the idea. It'd suck if he didn't…"_

"What else?" Kenma questioned.

He heard Kageyama sigh. _"You really want to know?"_

Kenma swallowed, then nodded. No, he didn't want to know, but he decided that if he really wanted to help Shōyō, he'd have to.

…

When Kageyama and Kenma ended their conversation, Kenma sat there in the dark, phone still in his hand, his brain still trying to comprehend the information. Kenma had assumed it was bad, being through a traumatizing experience like the one Shōyō went through…

But since hearing Kageyama's eye-witness account, Kenma decided he was nowhere _close_ to imagining how hard it was to go through something like Shōyō went through.

Kageyama had held nothing back. Shōyō's panic attack, his self-doubt, thinking he was useless to the team, trying to isolate himself, trying to push the people he cared about away, because he thought he was burdening them…

Kenma couldn't even _begin_ to imagine the kind of psychological damage the accident left Shōyō with.

 _I should have been here sooner_ , Kenma thought, finally snapping his phone shut and letting complete darkness overwhelm the room. _I should've come here sooner. I should've been here. Maybe I would've been able to help in some way…_

He wasn't quite sure _what_ he would've done, given how socially inept he was, but at the same time...even if he'd just visited Shōyō while he was in the hospital, that would have been more than _nothing_.

Kenma turned his head and looked to where Shōyō was still sleeping soundly, his arms wrapped tightly around the service dog that, according to Kageyama, had been a gift from the Karasuno team.

Kenma thought for another moment or two, and then opened his phone again, calling the first number to pop up in his list of recent calls.

The phone rang a total of two times before it was picked up. _"Kenma again, right?"_ Kageyama asked. He sounded wide awake now, almost as if he'd been expecting another call. _"I added your number to my contacts in case you wanna talk again just so you know-"_

"Thank you for taking care of Shōyō," Kenma said, getting right to the point.

There was silence on Kageyama's end for a moment or two. _"Yeah...you're welcome."_

"I mean it," said Kenma. "Don't take it lightly. I'm looking at the result of the battle, but you and the rest of Karasuno were there for the fight. I appreciate you looking after Shōyō."

"' _Course…"_ Kageyama said, sounding awkward - he and Kenma had a lot in common in that sense. _"We're his friends, it's our job…and, Kenma, you have no idea how excited that idiot was when he heard you were on your way here. Don't think you're not helping him just by being here."_

Kenma looked down. "I still think I should've been here sooner…"

" _Yeah, but you can't change the past. I had to face that reality, too."_

Kenma had no doubt about that.

"I'm going to be heading out probably the day after tomorrow," Kenma said. "I was worried at first, but now I'm sure Shōyō will be alright here with the rest of you."

There was a beat. _"Not sure if that's a compliment…"_

"You and the others from Karasuno are good friends," Kenma said. "So look after Shōyō."

" _I know."_

The call ended there. Kenma had no doubt in his mind that Shōyō was in safe hands.

And if anyone dared try to threaten that, well, they'd have to answer to both Karasuno and Nekoma.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 *****Edit: This chapter has now been proofread! :) If you find any errors I missed, please feel free to point them out to me!*****

 **This was originally supposed to be the last chapter, but I wanted to spend more some time with Kenma so it turns out there will be one more chapter after this and THEN maybe some bonus chapters depending on what you guys want. I know a few of you guys wanted to see Oikawa's/Ushijima's reaction to this entire situation…**

 **I'm, um…*cough cough*...still trying to think of where this would fit in the actual Haikyuu! timeline whoops.**

 **Oh well my bad. ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯**

 **Anyways, I've seriously considered drawing art for this but I can't draw to save my life so yeah that's probably not going to happen. :( Oh well. I can still write.**

 **Anyways, here are the shout-outs for everyone who's faved/followed/reviewed so far! :D**

 **7thScythe, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, Cardfighter By Maple, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, GAARA12223, happycookie2300,** **Hizuri Kyouko** **,** **Iris Patton, KyoRina97, LostSilva, m is for mochi, Monki91, NKelley756, Nona-96,** **1,** **RepeatingSimplePhrases, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yukio4, ayyyrahh, monkey76, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, Lexihenning12 and LucarioLilySH! Thank you for favoriting/following this story! Let me know if I missed anybody!**

 **And now, reviewers:**

 **LostSilva: There should be some more hurt/comfort pretty soon, but no, no yaoi. This story is completely platonic/friendship centric. Thanks for the review! :)**

 **pantherlilly17: Haha it's fine, I like long reviews. ;) Yeah, it was hard writing from Kenma's point of view, so I hope I did okay. When I start writing bonus chapters, there should be more of Kenma, because I think his and Hinata's friendship is the most precious thing in the world and I love it. :) Thanks for reviewing!**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Hahaha, choo choo! XD I usually try to update pretty quickly. Can't keep the readers waiting! XD Yeah, originally I was going to have Hinata meet up with Kenma in the last chapter, but I wanted to take my time with it and give it its own chapter instead of mushing it in with the last one. :P Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Iris Patton: I know, right? I'm too cruel…:( Thanks for reviewing! :)**

 **Color Quill: Whoops. Sorry! XD Yeah, I thought it was important for Hinata to have some emotional release. It's an important part of healing from a traumatic experience. Your ideas are awesome! :D I probably won't use all of them (there's a lot wow :D) but I'll definitely use some of them! :D Yay! :D Thank you for the review(s)! :D**

 **kyothefallenkit: That's a good idea! I'll consider it! :D Thanks! :D**

 **luxbandit: Thanks! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Thanks for the comment! Yeah, actually, all of that was completely intentional. A lot of writers do it, actually. Instead of throwing all the information at the reader, they deliver it gradually. It keeps the pace of the story flowing. Sometimes big information drops can drag the story down. But thank you for your imput! I'll try to deliver more information earlier on in the future! :D Thanks for the review! (And no worries, you didn't offend me! :D)**

 **That's all! Thank you all! :D See you next chapter!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	6. The Fear, The Hope

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

They parted ways with Kenma a couple of days later, at the train station - but not before Kenma have Hinata a couple of borderline strict orders.

"You have my number," Kenma told Hinata. "If you need to talk to someone, or it you want me to come back and see you again, call me or text me. I'll answer."

"Okay!" Hinata agreed, nodding, and Kageyama was pretty sure he heard him murmur "A lot of people have been telling me that lately…" under his breath.

Kenma looked towards Kageyama, and his eyes seemed to stare straight into the latter's soul. "Take care of Shōyō," Kenma said, and though that was all he said, Kageyama was sure an unspoken "or else" lay behind the setter's words.

"Yeah," Kageyama agreed, still feeling somewhat unnerved. He had no doubt that if he _didn't_ look after Hinata, Kenma would find some way of revenge, and Kageyama knew that if Kenma plotted something against him, it would not fail.

It gave him chills and honestly he would rather not think about it.

After that, they said their final farewells, and Kenma was back on the train, heading back to his own school with Hinata and Kageyama waving at their retreating friend.

…

There was blood. There was blood, and it was everywhere, all over the street like some crime scene, and people were screaming, and in the distance there were sirens and bright flashing lights against the dark night sky. Blood and lights and screams and sirens and fear and _dread_ and terror all combined into one horrible - no, _beyond_ horrible - moment.

The blood was Hinata's and Kageyama couldn't tell if he was even alive -

Kageyama woke up in cold sweat, lurching forward so suddenly that he tumbled off his bed and onto the carpeted floor below. His breathing was all over the place, and his heart was thudding rapidly against his ribs like it was a trapped bird in a cage trying to escape.

His head was spinning. For a brief moment, he thought he'd throw up. He pushed himself up, kneeling with his hands on the ground, breathing heavily.

Those images, things he'd much rather forget, were things that he knew would never leave his mind for good.

He managed to drag himself to his feet and stumble into the bathroom, feeling along the wall until he found the lightswitch. The white overhead lights were too bright, and he squinted, his eyes not quite ready for it.

The white lights kind of reminded him of the hospital lights in the waiting room...

He turned on the tap and splashed water up onto his face, trying to wake himself up and snap his mind away from the events of the past. He glanced up at himself in the mirror and mentally cringed. He was pale, and there were rings beneath his eyes - he'd expected both things, but that didn't make it any more pleasant to look at.

It'd been a while since he'd had a nightmare that blatantly _vivid_. It was almost like he was back there, back at that horrid, gruesome scene. Like he'd gone back in time and was witnessing the accident for a second time.

He hadn't minded telling Kenma about the accident, really, he hadn't - after all, Kenma had as much of a right to know as anyone else did. But talking about it, talking about all Hinata had been through and the struggles he'd faced…

...It brought back a lot of unpleasant memories.

He sighed, shut off the tap, and dried off his face with the hand towel before heading back into his room, turning out the lights as he went. He dragged his feet and finally face planted his bed. He didn't think he'd be able to sleep again even if he tried.

 _It happened months ago_ , Kageyama thought, feeling uncharacteristically helpless, _and it didn't even happen to me. So why…_

 _Why does it haunt me like this?_

He felt selfish. If anyone had the right to have nightmares over what happened, it was Hinata, not him, not Kageyama, not the person who indirectly _caused_ the accident in the first place.

 _I don't have the right to cry._

He raised his head, looking towards the desk by his bed. Tomorrow's due homework sat untouched alongside a pencil and a notebook, and beside that, his phone.

Kageyama bit his lip, thinking.

 _No, I'm not going to call him. I'm not going to burden him with this. He's dealing with enough, he shouldn't have to deal with me, too_.

And then, he felt like a hypocrite. Wasn't he the one always telling Hinata that he wasn't a burden, and to call him any time? Wasn't he the one always telling Hinata he didn't have to deal with things by himself?

 _It's different with me_ , he told himself. _I'm not_ blind.

And yet the events still traumatized him, and he wasn't sure he'd ever be able to fully get over it.

He wrestled with his reasonable side for a moment or two, and then he reached over, snatched his phone from the desk, and flicked it open. He found Hinata's contact, hesitated once again, and then hit _Call_. The finger he'd used to do so felt unnaturally heavy.

One ring. No answer. Two rings. No one picked up. Three rings. Still nothing. Four rings. Kageyama thought about abandoning ship while he still had the chance. Five rings.

And then.

" _Who is it?"_

Kageyama breathed a mental sigh of relief. _Of course he's alive, it was just a stupid nightmare, get ahold of yourself, Kageyama…_

"It's me, idiot," said Kageyama.

" _Kageyama?"_ The blatant confusion lacing Hinata's tone was almost comical. _"Wait, why are_ you _calling? What time is it?"_

Kageyama glanced at the wall clock behind him. "It's...about two in the morning," he told Hinata, and suddenly felt guilty. _Why the heck did I call him at two in the morning? I should've looked at the clock…_

" _Aww darn it! And I wanted to try and get to bed earlier today, too!"_ Hinata's voice cut through Kageyama's thoughts, and Kageyama frowned.

"You mean you weren't sleeping?" Kageyama asked.

" _Well duh, no!"_ Now Hinata sounded offended, which was almost equally comical. _"I had homework, Bakayama! I started after dinner and I just lost track of time while working, or else I_ would _have been sleeping-"_

"You're still working?" Kageyama interrupted, surprised. "You've been working on it for _that long?"_

Hinata groaned loudly. _"I can barely keep up with my_ first _language, and now I have to study English, too! In braille! Braille is_ hard! _Have you ever tried studying for an English exam in braille, Kageyama?"_

Kageyama mentally smacked himself. He was about to apologize, but Hinata kept talking before he even had the chance to open his mouth.

" _So, how's_ your _English exam going?"_

Kageyama sighed. "Same as always."

" _Ouch. That bad?"_

Kageyama clicked his tongue. "Shut up."

" _Hey, don't try to pin this on me! You're the one who called!"_ Hinata protested, and then, he stopped. _"Say, Kageyama, why'd you call, anyways? It's not like you to call me. Usually I'm the one calling you at weird hours."_

And Kageyama was brought right back to why he'd called in the first place. "I…" He paused, thinking. Was there a way he could word this without sounding completely pathetic?

"I was just checking up on you. That's all." Okay, it wasn't a total lie - after seeing those images in his head, he really needed the reassurance that Hinata was okay, more than he'd admit to anyone else.

" _I don't believe you_ ," said Hinata instantly. _"Your voice is all weird. It's really shaky sounding."_ There was silence for a moment, in which Kageyama took the chance to berate himself for not composing himself better.

" _Wait, hold on a second, were you…were you crying?"_

"No." Okay. That one _was_ a total lie, and almost as soon as the word was out of his mouth, he went back. "...Maybe…" he muttered under his breath, just barely into the phone. A part of him was hoping Hinata hadn't heard while the other part of him was hoping he had.

" _What happened?"_ Hinata asked him, and Kageyama knew there was no backing out of it now.

"I…" Now that Kageyama had to say it out loud, it sounded so petty and _stupid. I shouldn't have called him_ , Kageyama thought, regretting ever even _thinking_ about it in the first place. _It was just a stupid nightmare, I shouldn't have called him, it's pointless, it's all pointless…_

"I...had a nightmare."

There. He said it. He hadn't wanted to, but he'd spat it out, and now he fell silent, waiting for Hinata's response.

" _Oh,"_ Hinata said quietly. He didn't ask for details; chances were, he probably already knew exactly what the nightmare was about. _"Erm, you seriously don't have to sound so embarrassed about it. I get them sometimes, too."_

"Yeah, sure," Kageyama said, gritting his teeth, "because it actually _happened_ to you. It didn't happen to _me_."

" _...But you were there, weren't you?"_

Kageyama swallowed.

" _You saw the whole thing, didn't you? From start to finish. It_ did _happen to you. Sure, you weren't actually hit by a car or anything, but it happened, and when it did, it involved you, so it_ did _technically happen to you_."

Kageyama still didn't feel totally convinced, but he didn't argue. He knew Hinata would never listen, anyways.

" _You know, I talked to Yamaguchi a few days ago,"_ Hinata went on, _"when I had a nightmare. We talked for a while about it, and he gave me some pretty good advice. Yamaguchi's really smart. Do you want to know what he told me?"_

Kageyama didn't have a better idea. "I'm listening."

" _He told me when bad things happen, people don't generally handle it well mentally,"_ Hinata said, and he said it as though he were quoting something in front of a class. _"So sometimes they get flashbacks - or, you know, nightmares."_

"...I guess that makes sense," Kageyama said. _I can't believe I'm actually getting advice from Hinata…_ "But how do you deal with it?" Kageyama questioned. "Did Yamaguchi say anything about how to _stop_ it?"

" _...You can't really 'stop' it,"_ Hinata said quietly. _"He said the best thing to do is...accept it."_

Kageyama grit his teeth. " _Accept_ it?" He practically growled. How was he expected to just _accept_ what had happened? It shouldn't have happened at all and now Hinata was telling him to _accept_ it?

" _I mean accept the fact that it happened,"_ Hinata clarified, and Kageyama listened once again, broken from his thoughts. _"Yamaguchi told me that you need to step back and say, 'Yeah, this happened, and it was horrible, but it's going to be okay.' No matter how long it takes…that's really all you can do."_

That made sense. Kageyama didn't quite want to admit it, but yes, it did make sense.

" _And it's not like I died or anything,"_ said Hinata, and Kageyama cringed worse than ever at the mere _thought_ of the accident being fatal. _"And no one else was hurt, so...it's okay."_

"I'll…" Kageyama rubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand. "I'll have to remember, to thank Yamaguchi…"

" _Thank him? You, thank him? Are you sure you can do it?"_

"Do you want those to be your last words?"

" _Not really."_

"Then shut up."

" _No thanks."_

Kageyama felt just a little better, especially after talking to Hinata. The fact that nothing had really changed between them, either, as far as their "frenemy" relationship was concerned. It was...a little bit reassuring.

It was going to be okay, just like Hinata said. No matter how long it took, it was going to be okay eventually. Things were already starting to look up for them and their team.

Yes, the accident was something that should have never happened, to anyone, least of all to Hinata, but the truth was it happened, and now they were facing the aftermath.

They'd get through it. Eventually.

" _Er, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but what was your nightmare about?"_ Hinata asked, and Kageyama was knocked - once again - from his thoughts. Hinata sounded awkward and hesitant.

"Just...what happened," Kageyama said, suddenly feeling exhausted. "Nothing more and nothing less." He paused, a sudden thought striking him. "Wait, you said you got nightmares too, didn't you? What are yours about?"

Hinata was unconscious from the moment of impact up until he was patched up and in the hospital. Hinata hadn't seen anything. Hadn't seen the blood, hadn't heard the screams or the sirens, hadn't felt the panic.

Kageyama genuinely wondered what he had nightmares about. He guessed they could just be about getting hit by the car in the first place, but...that didn't really make sense to Kageyama.

" _...Oh, um...not like yours,"_ Hinata answered hesitantly. _"For me, it's never me that's hit by the car. It's always...someone else. Like, instead of me shoving you out of the way...I don't make it in time...and sometimes it's Nishinoya, and sometimes it's Sugawara, and...well...you get it..."_

Kageyama swallowed thickly. His throat suddenly felt tight. _Oh…_

" _...But it's okay,"_ Hinata told him after another moment, his tone rising just slightly. _"Everyone's okay. Honestly, I'm...I'm kind of glad it was me and not someone else."_

Kageyama balled his hand into a fist. "It shouldn't have happened at all," he growled.

" _But it did. Can we...can we please not talk about this anymore?"_

Kageyama had no complaint there. He, too, wanted to get off this subject as soon as possible.

"Alright," Kageyama said, nodding even though Hinata couldn't see him. "You should go to bed. We have practice tomorrow."

" _Oh, right, I forgot_ ," Hinata said, and by the tone of his voice, he definitely _had_ forgotten. _"Alright. You should go to bed, too."_

"I will," Kageyama said, though he wasn't sure he'd actually be able to sleep again for the rest of the night. "Bye, idiot."

" _Okay...bye - oh, Kageyama, wait!"_ Hinata raised his voice, and Kageyama stopped just before hitting the "End call" button.

"Yeah?" Kageyama said, putting the phone back against his ear.

" _I've been meaning to tell you for a long time,"_ said Hinata, _"but...thank you for everything. Specifically for the other day, in the club room."_

Another thing Kageyama didn't want to think about: Hinata's panic attack. But he didn't mention it. "Yeah, you bet," Kageyama said. "After all, who else could spike my tosses if you ended up in the hospital again?"

Hinata actually laughed at that, just slightly, but it was an honest laugh nonetheless. _"Yeah, good luck finding someone else,"_ Hinata said, and then, the laughter ended. _"I mean it, though. Thank you."_

"Don't worry about it," Kageyama said. "Now go to sleep, stupid. It's almost three in the morning."

" _Okay. 'Night, Bakayama."_

"Goodnight, idiot."

" _Kageyama has a very limited insult vocabulary."_

Kageyama opened his mouth to retort, but too late - Hinata had already hung up.

But even so, Kageyama felt a lot better than he'd felt all week, and when he fell asleep again, there were no nightmares.

…

"Okay, there's only one person who walks like that... it must be Kageyama!" Hinata announced grandly, as Kageyama stepped up to the gym the next day after school. Hinata as there with Kags, but no one else; the rest of the team had yet to arrive.

"Idiot," Kageyama scoffed, pulling off his shoes and replacing them with his volleyball ones.

"Aha! I was right!" cheered Hinata, and he actually gave himself a high-five, to which Kageyama rolled his eyes. "Score! Victory is mine!"

"Don't sound so cocky," Kageyama muttered.

Hinata stopped cheering. "Wow, you really _don't_ sound like you slept right yesterday," he said, thoughtful - and maybe just a little bit concerned, too. "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Kageyama said, and he wasn't lying. Hinata shrugged, and left it at that. Once everyone else arrived, they divided the team into two - one for either side of the court - and then began practice.

It may have been wishful thinking, but Kageyama was pretty sure Hinata looked just a little more lively than he had the other day, and the dark crescents under his eyes were lesser than they were before. His service dog, Kags, sat beside the bench with Yachi while the practice was held.

"Remember, don't worry about receiving or serving, idiot," Kageyama told Hinata. Hinata turned towards him, grinning.

"Kinda hard to forget, don't you think?" he said, waving his hand in front of his eyes as if for demonstration.

"...Right," said Kageyama, and he moved back to his rightful position on the court. Really, there wasn't much he could say to respond to that.

The team had decided that, whenever it was Hinata's turn to serve, they'd either trade him out with a pinch server or just let him try an underhand serve. Underhand serves were, of course, easier to receive, but Hinata was better at them than he was at overhands, so overall, even though he couldn't see what he was doing, his underhands had a better chance of making it over the net.

As far as receiving went, well, they'd just have to deal with that. If the ball was coming towards Hinata, someone else could move in and receive it in the spiker's place. That's just what they would have to do.

But of course, this was also a problem. Kageyama was sure they could receive at least _half_ of the balls in Hinata's place, but there was no way they could save all of them.

It would most likely hinder the team-

 _No_ , Kageyama thought, shaking his head, suddenly very furious with himself; on the other side of the court, Sugawara served, and on their side, Tanaka received. _I'm not going to think like that. I told Hinata we would make it work. I told Hinata he'd be able to stand on the court with us and that's what he's doing to do. I'm not about to start thinking he'll hinder us._

He set the ball, Hinata spiked it, and the game went on.

A little further into the game, on side of the court opposite of Hinata and Kageyama's, Sugawara set the ball to Asahi, and the ace swung his arm, matching up perfectly with the ball. The ball shot over the net, making a fast, straight descent towards the court.

 _He targeted the hole in our defense, in between Tanaka and Hinata_ , Kageyama thought, staring. _Hinata could probably get there in time if he knew where the ball was, but..._

 _But of course, he_ can't _know where the ball is..._

Nobody was there to receive. The ball's path was empty.

And then, suddenly, it wasn't.

Hinata suddenly dove forward, his arms outstretched in front of him, ready to receive.

Kageyama stared, shocked. _But he can't see the ball, how does he know where-?_

The ball was intercepted by Hinata's forearms and shot straight into the air.

Hinata had received Asahi's spike.

Everyone was so shocked by this development that they forgot they were still in a game. The ball bounced on the court's floor, out of bounds, but nobody cared. They only stared, wide-eyed and disbelieving, at Hinata.

Hinata looked just as shocked as the rest of them, which was, honestly, really confusing. Kageyama only stared, completely and utterly speechless.

 _Did that...did that actually just happen? Did Hinata seriously receive Asahi's spike? There're only a handful of people who've been able to receive Asahi's spike, and Hinata's probably one of the worst receivers in history, not to mention he can't actually_ see _the ball!_

 _So how did he receive Asahi's spike!?_

All at once, the silence was broken by a single, solitary shout.

"I HIT IT!" Hinata proclaimed, jumping into the air, startling the silence into oblivion. "Wahoo! Wow, I didn't think that would work but it did! I hit it!"

"How did you do that!?" Kageyama demanded, starting forward. "You can't see the ball, _how did you know where to receive it!?"_

"I heard it!" said Hinata, grinning, looking about ready to explode in glee. "I heard the wind, it was like _swoosh_ and it was getting louder, and I knew it was going to be right beside me, so I moved and it worked!"

"Wha...that's amazing!" Nishinoya cheered, racing over to the other side of the court to celebrate with his kohai. "You received it! Actually, that was probably one of the best receives you've ever done!"

"Wait, really!?" said Hinata, spinning towards the sound of Nishinoya voice. "I really did it!?"

"Yep! That was amazing!"

"YES!"

"That's incredible," said Sugawara, breathless, as he watched the scene in disbelief. "The ball wasn't sent to the setter, and the direction it took was totally random, but…"

 _But Hinata got the ball up._

 _Which gave everyone else the chance to connect._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 *****Edit: This chapter has now been proofread! :) If you find any errors I missed, please feel free to point them out to me!*****

 **Ya I'm just gonna leave 'dis here…**

 **AND I WAS WRONG (AGAIN) THERE WILL BE ANOTHER CHAPTER AFTER THIS ONE AND** _ **THEN**_ **I CAN START WRITING THE BONUS CHAPTERS! I'M SORRY BUT MY WRITING IS SO SPORADIC I CAN'T REALLY CONTROL IT** _ **GAK!**_

 **Ahem. Rant over. You can move on with your lives now. XD**

 **So, I know, a lot of people want to see Oikawa's and Ushijima's reactions aND I'M TRYING BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO IT. I think I can definitely do Oikawa's, but since this takes place somewhere before season 3, Ushijima's might be harder. Any ideas? Leave them in the review section! :D**

 **Oh, but before you do that, shout-outs to everyone who's reviewed/favorited/followed so far! You know the drill! :)**

 **Special thanks to 7thScythe, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, Cardfighter By Maple, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, GAARA12223, happycookie2300, Hizuri Kyouko, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, InsanityOwl, KyoRina97, LostSilva, m is for mochi, Monki91, MysteryElv, NKelley756, Nona-96, 1, RepeatingSimplePhrases, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yukio4, ayyyrahh, monkey76, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, Lexihenning12 and LucarioLilySH! Thank you for favoriting/following this story! Let me know if I missed anybody!**

 **And here's to the reviewers! :)**

 **LostSilva: You're welcome! :) And yes, this takes place before season 3. Regarding Oikawa's and Ushijima's reactions, I wrote a little something about it in this author's note. Just scroll up a little. :)**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Now who's to say Nekoma** _ **didn't**_ **secretly follow Kenma just to make sure he was alright? ;) It's Nekoma, there's literally no way to know. XD Thanks! I like doing some calmer chapters every now and then to let the readers catch their breath. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Iris Patton: I'm so glad you like the story! :D :D :D And as you can see, there will be one more chapter after this one. IT'S NOT OVER YET! :D :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Nya (Guest): THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D :D :D**

 **ColorQuill: You weren't pushy at all! Actually, if you have any MORE ideas, I'd love to hear them! :D I am really, REALLY glad I'm keeping everyone in character! Kenma's POV was pretty hard to write, so I'm glad I did okay! :D :D :D Haha, I'm the same way. I'm just like "Hmm, all these feels will probably emotionally scar me for life...better have more of them!" XD (And if you hadn't told me English wasn't your first language, I would have never known. :D) Thanks for the review! :D**


	7. The Flight

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

At first, it was pretty 50 - 50 either way. Hinata received half of the balls, but the other half either went right over him or right beside him. Still, though, the fact that he was even able to receive _half_ of the balls without actually being able to _see_ them was an amazing feat in it of itself.

Kageyama still didn't understand how he did it.

As practice continued, Hinata got better and better at predicting where the ball would land based on the sound of the ball cutting through the air. Now, he hit at least seventy percent of all the balls that came his way. Of course he couldn't aim - that hadn't changed at all - but getting the ball up was all he needed to do. After that, the rest of the team could finish the play.

Needless to say, everyone was impressed by Hinata's newfound capability, including Hinata himself.

"It's weird," Hinata told Kageyama after practice, uncapping his water bottle. "It's like I can hear everything a lot clearer now. It's really cool! When I really try, I can actually hear people's feet leaving the ground!"

"But... _how?"_ Kageyama asked, still disbelieving.

"No idea!" said Hinata, beaming. "But it works, right? Isn't that all that matters?"

Kageyama blinked, and then nodded in agreement.

"Maybe," said Nishinoya, sliding up beside them, having eavesdropped on their conversation, "since you can't see anymore, you notice things you weren't able to before. Maybe you were so distracted with what was right in front of you that the rest of your senses were dulled."

Hinata blinked in confusion. "Eh?"

"You can hear stuff better now, idiot," said Kageyama.

"Oh! Okay!" said Hinata, nodding in understanding. Kageyama rolled his eyes.

…

"We're having a practice match next week."

Daichi's announcement caught everyone off-guard, and they looked at their captain in confusion. They were in the gym, the day after Hinata's first blind receive, getting ready to start their after-school practice.

"A practice match?" Nishinoya questioned suspiciously, as he knelt on the ground lacing up his volleyball shoes. "With who?"

"A team from the next city over," Daichi answered, stepping through the door and sliding it shut behind him. "They're not an extremely popular team, so getting a practice match set up with them was reasonably easy."

 _Not a very popular team?_ Kageyama thought, blinking. _I wonder who they are..._

"Have we ever played them before?" Sugawara asked, moving forward.

Daichi shook his head. "No," he said, "but they're one of the lesser teams in the prefecture. Below us, even."

"So why are we having a practice match with them if they're not a real match for us?" Tanaka questioned, asking what everyone else was thinking.

"The main reason Takeda-sensei set up the practice match for us," Daichi answered, "was so Hinata had the chance to practice his receives against another team. His receives are sporadic, so it should be good practice for all of us."

"Yes!" Hinata cheered, pumping both fists into the air. "I'm feeling pretty confident today, so bring it on, random team from the next city over!"

"Speaking of Hinata's receives," Daichi went on, almost as if Hinata had never said anything at all. "I had an idea yesterday while we were practicing. Hinata, how hard would it be for you to memorize the sounds of different bells?"

"Different...bells?" Hinata looked confused.

"I'm thinking," said Daichi, elaborating, "if you can memorize the sounds of different bells, we can each have a different one on the court, that way you know where we are."

"Oh!" Nishinoya snapped his fingers. "That makes sense! If we tie bells around our wrists or whatever, then Shōyō will also know if someone else goes in for the receive, that way he can back off without colliding with them."

 _That makes sense,_ thought Kageyama. It was a good idea. Honestly, Kageyama didn't know they hadn't thought of it sooner.

"It's important to know where your teammates are," said Daichi, nodding, "so if you think you can do it, Hinata, I think it'd help you on the court tremendously."

Hinata was already nodding before Daichi had the chance to finish speaking. "I'll try anything once!" said Hinata, grinning. "Let's do it!"

...

"Sorry I'm late!" Hinata cried, stumbling into the gym, led by Kags. Kageyama turned, looking over his shoulder at the spiker as he entered. Hinata paused suddenly, one foot still in the air, looking confused. "Wait, _am_ I late?"

"A little bit, but not really," said Daichi. "Nishinoya, Sugawara and Tanaka haven't showed up yet, either. But we don't have to leave for another couple of hours, so we have time."

Other than the three Daichi named, everyone else had arrived and were currently in the gym at Karasuno, awaiting their time of departure. They were holding the practice match at the opposing side's gym, which was an hour drive from Karasuno.

"So," Kageyama said, "have you memorized the different bells, Hinata?"

That was something else that was new: each member of the team was wearing their respective bells, tied to velcro and wrapped around their wrists (they had decided that, since they moved their arms the most during volleyball, that was where they should strap the bells).

Hinata nodded eagerly, looking just a little _too_ proud of himself. "I think so, for the most part!" said Hinata. "It's easy to remember your bell tone, Kageyama, because you have such a low, brooding voice, like the bell is low!"

Kageyama rounded the spiker, inevitably jostling the bell strapped to his wrist. "I do not have a brooding voice," said Kageyama, glaring.

"He says with a brooding voice," added Hinata smugly, grinning. _Grinning_. Oh, sometimes Kageyama wanted to _strangle_ this kid…

Sugawara arrived at that moment, stepping into the gym with his bell jingling softly. Instantly, Hinata spun around, waving his hands in the older setter's direction.

"No, don't tell me, don't tell me!" he said. "I wanna guess! You're...Nishinoya?"

"Not quite," said Sugawara, smiling softly as he switched out his shoes. "Good guess, though, Hinata! You were close!"

"How are Sugawara and Nishinoya close?" Tsukishima grumbled in the background, but he went ignored by the rest of the team - except for Daichi, who gave the blocker a stern look of warning.

"Aww! Darn!" Hinata said, smacking his forehead. "I was sure I had it that time! You and Nishinoya have such similar sounding bells…"

Sugawara frowned. "We do?" he inquired, looking down at said bell as if it were to blame. "I hadn't noticed. If you think it'll make it easier, I could find a different one and use that instead-"

Hinata shook his head and waved his hands again. "No, this is fine!" he said. "Honest! I have everyone else's down, so it's just you and Nishinoya left! I know I'll get it before the practice match!"

"The practice match is in three hours," said Kageyama, deadpan.

"Like I said! I'll get it in time! Just you watch!"

Kageyama clicked his tongue. "Good luck."

"Hey! You're supposed to be on _my_ side!"

"Why would I choose to be on the losing side?"

"YOU WANNA FIGHT, KAGEYAMA!?"

Honestly, though, Kageyama didn't mean a word of what he said, and he was pretty sure Hinata was aware of this. Kageyama knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Hinata would be able to call each member out just by the bells on their wrists in no time at all.

If he could tell where one of _Asahi's_ spikes were going to land, then he could memorize the different sounds of a few bells. Hinata had been working hard to memorize the sound of each member's assigned bell, and he had done well, considering how little time they'd had and how poor Hinata's memory was.

 _Now let's see if all his hard work pays off_ , Kageyama thought, even though he had no doubt that it would.

Kageyama frowned, suddenly noticing something he hadn't before. Something smelled... _strange_. Not necessarily _bad_ , just strange. He looked around thoughtfully for a moment, and then turned to Hinata.

"Hey, do you smell bubblegum or something?" he asked, curious.

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hinata flushed bright red and looked away, shifting his weight awkwardly. "I...erm…" he stuttered awkwardly. "I sort of…" What he said next came out so quietly that Kageyama didn't catch a word of it.

"You sort of what?" Kageyama questioned.

Hinata fidgeted for a moment or two before answering, all in one breath and just a bit louder than before. "I sort of accidentally washed my hair with my sister's bubble bath this morning."

Kageyama blinked at him and turned away. "Oh."

Instantly, Hinata rounded him. "YOU'RE SMILING," Hinata accused, pointing his finger.

"No I'm not," Kageyama lied.

"YES, YES YOU ARE!" Hinata shouted, still bright red in the face. "IT'S NOT FUNNY! DO YOU KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE ASKED ME ABOUT THAT!? IT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM!"

"Just shower again."

"I _TRIED!_ WHY ELSE DO YOU THINK I WAS LATE THIS MORNING!?"

"Oh," said Tsukishima; it seemed he had been eavesdropping the whole time, "so you _weren't_ just slacking off as usual? How shocking."

Hinata looked like he would say something else, but he didn't have the chance - Nishinoya and Tanaka chose that moment to show up, lugging their duffel bags over their shoulders, their bells tied to their wrists.

"Good morning Karasuno!" cheered Tanaka, waving a hand at each member in turn. "So who's ready to kick some lesser-player butts?" He cracked his knuckles as if for emphasis.

"YEAHA!" agreed Nishinoya, nodding firmly.

Daichi sighed wearily. "It's too early for this…"

Nishinoya paused suddenly, a look of confusion crossing over his face, and he sniffed the air. "Hey, is someone chewing gum?" he asked, slipping his bag over his shoulder and onto the ground.

Hinata sighed heavily and buried his face in his hands, looking like he'd rather sink into the ground and never be seen again than answer Nishinoya's question. He turned to Kageyama, looking defeated.

"Can you please knock me out?" Hinata asked.

"No."

"Why not?" Hinata moaned.

"Because Kenma will kill me, that's why."

The argument lasted another five minutes, and when the bus was finally ready, they loaded up and headed off.

…

If there was one thing Kageyama hadn't been counting on, it was the gossip.

The other team would just not. Stop. _Gossiping_.

Kageyama wanted to pummel every single one of them, but Daichi was watching, so he obviously couldn't do that.

"Is he really blind?" the opposing team's number four whispered to their number five, just barely loud enough for Kageyama to hear. Kageyama spun around, just in time to see their number four lower a finger, which had been pointed at Hinata.

The number five looked over his shoulder at Hinata, who was standing on the other side of the gym with the rest of Karasuno. "I think he is," said number five. "Bummer. If we play our cards right, this game'll be a synch."

It was just a practice match, sure, but that didn't mean they weren't taking it seriously. _Both_ teams were planning on giving it their all.

"Just try and aim your spikes at the blind kid," the other team's number five went on, and Kageyama clenched his teeth, "and we should be fine. He won't be able to receive."

 _It's just gossip_ , Kageyama thought to himself, trying to calm down. _It's just gossip, it's just gossip, they have no idea what they're talking about, save all the fighting for the game, they'll probably bench me if I punch them in the face…_

 _I could make it look like an accident._

 _But Daichi will notice either way..._

"I feel bad," said the other team's number nine, but his sympathy sounded fake, and he eyed Hinata almost fiendishly. "Having that blind kid play middle blocker...it's kinda cruel of Karasuno, don't you think?"

"Well, _they're_ the ones who decided to let him play," number four argued, "so it's their problem, not ours."

Kageyama balled his fists. _Screw it I'm gonna punch them all in the face._

At the last second, though, Hinata stopped him by reaching out blindly and grabbing Kageyama's arm - the arm with the bell. Kabeyama stared at him in confusion.

"It doesn't matter," Hinata said, his voice low and somewhat hesitant. "I'm sure everybody we play against is going to think the same thing. It's okay. Besides…"

There was something doleful about Hinata's voice, and it only got worse as he continued.

"...I'm probably going to have to get used to being labeled as 'the blind kid' when we're on the court," Hinata said.

Kageyama winced. That hurt. "Hinata-"

"Well, anyways," Hinata interrupted him with a shrug, and the tone of his voice became somewhat more enthusiastic, "they're technically not _wrong_. It's not a smart move to have a blind person as your middle blocker."

Kageyama swallowed hard. "Hinata-" he tried again, and was once more cut off.

" _At least_ ," Hinata stopped him, putting up a finger, "that's what they'll _think_. But the more they underestimate me, the more powerful the blow is when I finally land it, am I right?"

Kageyama deadpanned. "Well, you're not _wrong_."

Hinata smiled, just slightly, and then, over his shoulder, "Tanaka, Nishinoya, I can hear you. You can stop trying to intimidate them, their comments don't matter to me."

Instantly, Tanaka and Nishinoya backed off, grumbling under their breath. Kageyama couldn't make everything out, but it sounded suspiciously like, "Either way, we'll show them who's boss."

Shortly afterwards, the players shook hands, and the game began. The opposing side was serving first.

 _From what I know about this team,_ Kageyama thought to himself, _they're all strong servers, and that's about all they've got going for them. If we can cut off their serves on the first go, we'll have the upper hand._

The ball was served by the other team, and it rocketed over the net.

Kageyama watched its course, and then blanched. _They aimed it at Hinata_.

He should have been expecting it, really. After all, it made sense to serve to the person least likely to receive it. But it still filled Kageyama with anger.

Hinata paused a moment - and then, he put out his hands and received the serve dead-on.

"Ha!" Hinata said, grinning. "They aimed it at me! I knew they would!"

" _I_ told you they would," Tsukishima corrected under his breath.

The other team was so shocked by this development that they completely forgot about the ball, which dropped onto their side of the court after Hinata's long receive.

After that, the game shifted entirely. The other team didn't underestimate Hinata after that, but that didn't stop them from aiming all the balls they could at him. Hinata received at least three quarters of them, and whenever he missed one, all he said was, "I'll get it next time!"

Honestly, it was pretty amazing. Kageyama already respected Hinata enough as it was, but as of recently, his respect for the spiker had at least doubled.

"Hey!" Nishinoya yelled, when another server aimed for Hinata - and Hinata received it. "I'm here, too! I wanna receive the ball! Bring it on!"

When it was Kageyama's turn to serve, he stood behind the line for a longer time than usual, thinking. _Okay, let's see_ … he hummed to himself, looking over the other side of the court at each opposing member in turn. _Which of you were the first to serve at Hinata…? Oh, that's right, number eight. Okay. Let's see how good_ you _are at receiving a serve that's aimed directly at you_.

"Kageyama! Serve them a nice one!" Hinata shouted at the setter over his shoulder, flashing him a thumbs-up.

Kageyama nodded in agreement. "Obviously."

He served the ball, directly at the other team's number eight. Just as Kageyama had hoped, he failed to receive it, and another point was added to Karasuno's score.

He wasn't positive, but he was pretty sure he heard Sugawara ask, "Is it just me, or was that serve a lot more powerful than usual?"

…

The game was over relatively quickly, 2-0 with Karasuno taking both sets. Honestly, Kageyama was far from surprised. Karasuno was already a more powerful school, and the other team made a lot of common mistakes - like underestimating their opponents, for example.

But still. Seeing one serve after another, sent directly at Hinata...it made Kageyama want to punch something (or, more over, some _one_ ). And this was, surely, the first of many times that teams would target Hinata. It made sense, but it still infuriated the setter to no end.

That, and as he'd been leaving the gym earlier, trailing behind the rest of his teammates, he'd overheard a conversation between the other team's eight and nine.

"Geez, I wasn't expecting that blind kid to actually do much," eight had said to nine, while scratching the back of his head.

"I bet most of that was just pure, dumb luck," nine had replied with a snigger. "After all, he's _blind_."

Kageyama wanted to punch them. He'd wanted to punch them, _so badly_ , especially when he remembered all the _pain_ Hinata had went through, every single disheartening, discouraging practice Hinata had barreled through, just because he was stubborn and wanted to stay on the court with his teammates.

He'd wanted to punch them. He'd wanted to scream at them. They didn't know. They didn't know what Hinata had been through. They didn't know what Hinata had faced, just because of some freak accident.

But Kageyama hadn't attacked them, as much as he wanted to. He knew it wasn't what Hinata would have wanted.

Either way, his fury was not quenched. He _still_ wanted to teach the other team a lesson.

Kageyama was currently refilling his water bottle at a fountain for the drive home when he heard a bell ring just behind him - a bell he soon realized belonged to Tsukishima. ("Tsukishima's bell sounds edgy and irritating," Hinata described it, "so it's easy to remember, because it matches his personality," to which Tsukishima replied, "Then if you had a bell, it'd be the loudest and most annoying of all.").

Tsukishima stepped up next to him, and though he wasn't looking in Kageyama's direction, it was obvious that his intention was to speak with the setter.

Kageyama capped his water bottle. "Tsukishima," he said, nodding stiffly.

Tsukishima nodded back, equally stiffly. "King," he said. There was a brief pause before Tsukishima spoke again. "So," he said, examining his fingernail idly, "I'm sure you noticed the other team's treatment of Hinata."

Kageyama clenched his teeth. Tsukishima was probably as furious as Kageyama was about this fact, though the middle blocker did a better job of hiding it.

"You know," said Tsukishima, tapping his chin in mock thought, "I'm pretty sure the other team has another game soon. Wouldn't it be unfortunate if they suddenly lost all their gear?"

Kageyama pondered this statement, caught on with what Tsukishima was insinuating, and then nodded. "Consider it done," he said. "I'm sure you also got your revenge?"

Tsukishima nodded. "Of course," he said. Though he said it nonchalantly, there was a gleam in his eyes that could only be described as _evil_ and maybe even _twisted_. "They'll be experiencing quite a few... _unexplainable_ vehicle problems on the way to their next match."

"...Nice."

"Thanks."

…

Hinata was the first to crash on the drive home to Karasuno, with Kageyama sitting next to him on the bus and Kags the service dog curled at his feet, dozing. Up ahead, Nishinoya and Tanaka played cards up front, Asahi and Daichi talked, Tsukishima listened to music, Yamaguchi stared thoughtfully out the window...everyone was doing what they usually did on long, returning-home drives when they weren't too tired.

"He's sleeping," said Sugawara, and Kageyama looked up. The older setter smiled gently at him, his comment directed at the spiker leaning against Kageyama, resting.

"Well, yeah," said Kageyama. "It's probably a lot of mental stress, listening for different sounds like that…" Kageyama frowned, then sighed. "He's ridiculous. Doesn't know when to stop."

Sugawara laughed softly at that. "Yes," he agreed, "but that can be said about all of us, can't it?"

Kageyama nodded. Sure, Hinata was stubborn, but so was everybody else, so he fit right in. "...I still don't know how he does it," Kageyama admitted. "Listening, like he does. It's...it's…"

"It's amazing, isn't it?" said Sugawara. "Frankly, I don't know how he does it either, but since he mentioned it, I've tried listening, too. Sometimes I can hear the ball in the air, but only when there's an especially powerful spike or serve. The fact that Hinata's able to do it every time…" Sugawara sighed, and then said, in awe, "It's amazing."

Kageyama couldn't disagree with that, and he was sure nobody else could, too. He nodded, and then went right back to staring out the window, with Hinata's head leaning against his shoulder.

There was silence for a little while, and then, it was broken.

"...You're a good friend, Kageyama."

Kageyama blinked, confused, at Sugawara. "I don't know what you mean."

"I don't think you realize how much you've done for Hinata," Sugawara said. "Honestly, compared to what you've done, none of us have done anything."

"I don't understand."

"You and Hinata fight more than anyone else I know," said Sugawara, "but you understand each other, and Hinata trusts you. He may not act like it, but he does. After the accident...whenever he needed a friend, you were there for him. When he didn't think he had anyone to turn to, you made yourself available."

"...Sure," said Kageyama, "but isn't that what friends do anyway? What's the big deal?"

Sugawara shook his head. "You act like it's nothing," he said, "but really, it's _everything_. When someone suffers, from physical or emotional trauma, they need support. A _lot_ of support, from their friends and family especially. You gave him that support."

"But you guys did, too," said Kageyama. He didn't understand this at all.

"Yes," said Sugawara, thoughtfully, "but none of us understand Hinata as well as you do. You weren't afraid to yell at him, to tell him what he needed to hear when he didn't listen to anyone else. He respects you. He's told me himself."

Kageyama looked down. "I've never really...considered myself a good friend." Truth be told, before Karasuno, he'd never really _had_ friends. The entire concept of "friends" and real "teammates" was still relatively new to him.

Sugawara chuckled softly. "Hinata would probably call you an idiot if he heard you say that."

"He calls me an idiot anyway."

"Ah, true, true…but I mean it. You're a good friend to him. That's exactly what he needs right now."

Kageyama didn't know what to say for the longest time.

And then, "Thank you, Sugawara," he said.

Sugawara smiled. "You're welcome," he said. "And for the record, even though most people compare you and Hinata with oil and water, I still think you're more like gasoline and a blowtorch."

"I'll...keep that in mind."

...

About mid-drive home, the rest of the team finally gave into exhaustion and slept. All except for Kageyama, who stayed awake, looking out the window, thinking. Today's match had gone well, but it was only one out of the many matches they'd face in the future. They'd face stronger teams, teams stronger than the ones they'd faced today and teams stronger than themselves, too.

 _Well, it doesn't matter what we face in the future,_ Kageyama decided, shutting his eyes and leaning against the window of the bus.

 _As long as Hinata stays on the court with us…_

 _...That'll be enough._

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Aaaaaaand *hits "Save"* done. Nailed it!**

 **Okay so this actually isn't "done" done yet. I'm still gonna post some "bonus" chapters sporadically so I mean you guys can look forward to that if you want.**

 **BUT I STILL NEED IDEAS. *waves hands* ANY IDEAS AT ALL PLEASE. OKAY? PLEASE? PRETTY PLEASE WITH A CHERRY ON TOP!? NO BONUS CHAPTERS UNTIL I GET SOME IDEAS! ('Cause I'm fresh out of 'em that's why.)**

 **I've already got a few requests, which I'm prolly gonna write some time in the near future, but the more the merrier, correct? :) So if you have any requests - anything at all - send 'em my way! :D**

 **That's...about it, actually. I don't actually have much to say this time, oddly enough. :/**

 **Oh, shout-outs! :D**

 **Special thanks to 7thScythe, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, 27aquarrow72, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, happycookie2300, Hizuri Kyouko, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, InsanityOwl, KyoRina97, .456, LostSilva, m is for mochi, Monki91, MysteryElv, NKelley756, Nona-96, 1, RepeatingSimplePhrases, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yukio4, ayyyrahh, monkey76, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, and LucarioLilySH! Thank you for favoriting/following this story! Let me know if I missed anybody!**

 **And here's to the reviewers!**

 **MysteryElv: I know, when I'm down angst is what I write the most so I mean I've got no idea. XD I'm glad you like the story so much! :D :D :D Thank you for the review!**

 **Pawoon (Guest): Awww, thank you so much! :D I'm so happy you're enjoying it! :) Ooh, Bokuto! I'm definitely going to have to write his reaction in this story! Thanks for the suggestion, and for the review! :D**

 **GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :D Those are both great ideas, and since a few other people have wanted to see Bokuto's reaction to all this, I'm definitely going to include that in one of the bonus chapters. :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: Thanks! :D I know, I'm so proud of him! I had to let something good happen to him after all that angst. :) Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **ItsHoodButItsGood: Aww thanks! I know, I love writing stories like this, so I'm glad you like reading them! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **ArchimedesAckermann: OH MY GOSH THANK YOU SO MUCH! :D :D :D :D I'M GLAD YOU ENJOYED IT! :D :D :D Thank you for the review! :D**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Oh I know. I'm so happy for Hinata. :D I love Hinata and Kageyama's dynamics (which is the main reason I wrote this story in the first place, actually), so it's good to know someone else is enjoying reading it! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **FanWriter02: Hey there! :D Funny you should mention it, I've actually been considering getting back to writing HttYD for a while now. I haven't seen the new season yet, but I'm sure once I watch it I'll write at least something new for that fandom. :D I probably won't be able to write as much as I used to, because my schedule's kind of up in the air right now, but I wanted to let you know that I'm definitely considering it. :) Thanks for your review! I'm glad you like my HttYD stories! :D**

 **LostSilva: Thanks! :D I thought it was pretty cool! :D Thanks for the review! :)**

 **So, that's it! :)** _ **Jaa ne!**_

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	8. OMAKE - Because I'm Your Friend

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

The first thing Kageyama noticed at school one boring Monday was this:

Hinata was not there.

Usually, Kageyama bumped into Hinata in between classes or during lunch break, and they'd chat for a couple of minutes before racing to their classes, usually winding up late because of these chats. Hinata had an excuse ("Sorry, I'm so sorry, I kept bumping into stuff and couldn't find my way here!") and this excuse worked even though he had a _freaking service animal_ with him at all times.

Kageyama, though, was not as lucky, not that it mattered, because he'd never had a clean slate when it came to school, anyways.

But it was weird not seeing Hinata in between classes, or at lunch. Kageyama couldn't help but wonder where he was.

 _Maybe his mom kept him home again_ , Kageyama thought to himself, as he headed to his final class for the day. _But usually he texts us in the group chat to let us know he's not coming..._

This was strange, even for Hinata. Finally, mid-way through the last class, Kageyama could take it no longer. While the teacher turned his back to the class to write on the board, Kageyama slipped his phone out of his pocket, flipped it open, and silently sent a text to Hinata from under the desk.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: School  
_ _Where the heck are you, idiot?_

He sent the message, pocketed his phone, and went right back to pretending he was paying attention to the lesson. He waited a while for Hinata's response, the teacher's words going in one ear and out the other, but no reply came.

Kageyama pulled out his phone again, being just as careful as before, and sent another message.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: School  
_ _Oy, answer your phone, idiot_.

He waited again. Still nothing. This confused him, a lot. Hinata didn't alwaysrespond to his texts _right away,_ but he usually responded relatively quickly (considering it was Kageyama who was texting him, he was probably afraid not to), but getting no response from Hinata _at all_ was...weird.

Plus the fact he hadn't been at school all day...

After class, when Kageyama didn't have to worry about being spotted by a teacher, Kageyama sent another text to Hinata.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: School  
_ _Are you mad at me or something? Answer your phone._

And when he didn't receive a response for another fifteen minutes, he sent yet another text.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: School  
_ _Seriously where are you?_

When he _still_ didn't get any sort of reply, he grew worried. Hinata wasn't answering his phone, something he usually did. Kageyama instantly began thinking the worst, because he didn't know what else to think in this situation.

 _What if he's hurt? What if he's in the hospital again? What if he fell down the stairs?_

(Kageyama still thought it was ridiculously stupid that Hinata chose to sleep upstairs when he was blind. It was definitely something Kageyama would never do, even if it was the only option he had.)

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Stupid Hinata  
_ _Re: School  
_ _Oy. Idiot. You're worrying me now. Where are you?_

He waited. Still nothing. So, instead of sending another text, he resorted to calling. He dialed Hinata's number from memory and waited for him to pick up.

He didn't. Kageyama called him again, but the spiker _still_ didn't answer. So Kageyama went back to texting, because he didn't know what else to do, and he was becoming increasingly worried.

Finally, _finally_ , his phone vibrated, and he practically broke the hinge in his race to flip it open.

 _From: Stupid Hinata_

 _Re: School_

 _This is Natsu. Stop texting my brother._

Kageyama stared down at the text, a mixture of surprised and confused. What was Hinata's little sister doing with his phone? More importantly, where was Hinata?

Kageyama thought about texting again and asking Natsu just why Hinata wasn't answering him, but he thought better of it a moment later. Natsu was scary when she wanted to be.

So instead of doing that, Kageyama sent a text to the next person that came to mind.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _Do you know where Hinata is?_

He stood there, without closing his phone, waiting; Sugawara usually got back to him pretty quickly. Sure enough, a few moments later, there was Sugawara's response. Kageyama opened the message and read it to himself.

 _From: Sugawara Kōshi_

 _To: Kageyama Tobio_

 _Re: Hinata?_

 _Oh. Takeda-sensei said Hinata called in sick this morning, so he shouldn't be there during club, either. Sorry Kageyama, I should have told you sooner._

Kageyama was relieved – but also infuriated at the same time. All his panic and worry and it turned out Hinata was just _sick?_ He was glad his worries hadn't been reality, of course, but still.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _Okay, thanks. I'm gonna go kill him now._

 _From: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _To: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _Okay. I assume you won't be at club?_

Sugawara wasn't fazed whatsoever by Kageyama's threat; Kageyama threatened Hinata all too often for anyone to be fazed by it anymore, or take him seriously. They knew by now Kageyama would never actually do anything intentionally against Hinata.

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _No, I won't be there. Sorry._

 _From: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _To: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _No worries. :) I need the extra practice setting, anyways. :) I'll let the rest of the team know for you. Tell Hinata I said hi._

 _From: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _To: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _Will do. Thanks, Sugawara._

 _From: Sugawara Kōshi  
_ _To: Kageyama Tobio  
_ _Re: Hinata?  
_ _No problem! :D_

...

Natsu was _not_ happy to see Kageyama. When she answered the door, literally the only thing she did was frown at him, almost like she couldn't _believe_ he had the nerve to come here.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, and when she spoke, she didn't sound necessarily _angry;_ maybe a little frustrated, but overall, genuinely curious - maybe even a little suspicious. Kageyama still didn't think she trusted him one hundred percent.

"I came over to see your brother," Kageyama told her, hoping it would be enough. "Can I come in?"

Natsu thought this over for a minute, and then stepped aside. Maybe she _did_ trust him a little bit after all. "Sure," she said, "but don't bug him. Mom went to the store to grab something, and she told me not to bug him, so you shouldn't, either."

"Alright," Kageyama said, accepting her invitation in, pulling off his shoes right away while Natsu shut (and locked) the door behind him. "Thanks."

Natsu nodded firmly and scampered off, disappearing around a corner a moment later. She didn't need to show Kageyama up to Hinata's room; Kageyama had been here enough times to know exactly where it was.

Kageyama climbed the stairs and knocked twice on Hinata's closed door. There was no response, and the door was unlocked, so Kageyama let himself in quietly.

Hinata was sleeping, covered by what looked like at least five blankets. His cheeks were flushed, while the rest of his face a sickly, pasty white. His service animal was curled up at the foot of the bed, and he stirred for a moment when Kageyama entered – but only for a moment, because the dog went right back to sleeping a moment later.

Kageyama sighed heavily, slipping his school backpack off his shoulder and onto the floor.

"Idiot…" he muttered, even though he was sure Hinata couldn't hear him. "How'd you get yourself sick?"

"Meh...dunno."

Kageyama jumped involuntarily, rounding the owner of the voice. Hinata blinked at him, his fogged eyes fever-bright and glassy.

"I thought you were sleeping," Kageyama said.

"Kinda...not really," Hinata said, sitting up; Kags stirred once again, raising his head to look at his owner. When he realized Hinata wasn't going anywhere and thereby didn't need assistance, he went back to sleep again.

"What're you doing here, Bakayama?"

"You weren't at school, and you didn't answer your phone," Kageyama said, pulling Hinata's desk chair closer to the bed and sitting down on it. "I thought you'd died or something."

Hinata smiled tiredly. "Almost did once or twice," he said. "I got up earlier to get some water and kinda forgot there was a staircase…"

"You have a service dog."

"...Yeeeeah I forgot I had him, too."

Kags perked up again and looked at Hinata, confused, and almost _betrayed_. He barked quietly at Hinata – that stupid bark that sounded suspiciously like _baka –_ and laid down, sleeping again.

Kageyama smirked. "For once," he said, "me and the dog agree on something, you _baka_."

"Ugh. Leave me _aloooooone_ ," Hinata moaned, flopping back and pulling his blankets over his head. "I'm sick." His voice was muffled. "Go away."

"Idiot, you're going to make yourself sicker with all those blankets," Kageyama groaned. Honestly, sometimes he couldn't believe just how blatantly _stupid_ Hinata was. It was both comical and obnoxious; it made him want to laugh at Hinata, and then smack him a few seconds later.

"Don't care," Hinata muttered back, rolling over so his back faced Kageyama. "Don't you have anything better to do than make fun of me?"

"Not really."

"What about homework?"

"...Crap."

"Yeah I thought so."

…

A little while later, Kageyama heard the front door open, followed by Natsu explaining to her and Hinata's mother that "Nii-san's scary friend from the volleyball club" was currently visiting. Kageyama couldn't help being a _little_ offended, but only a little, of course; he knew just how scary he could be, so Natsu wasn't technically _wrong_.

Hinata was sleeping on and off throughout Kageyama's entire visit. He didn't say much when he was awake, not that Kageyama was expecting him to. Kageyama was still sitting on the chair by the bedside, only now he had pulled his homework from his backpack and was working on that, bearing down against his knee.

He would really rather just give his homework to Kags and have the dog tear it up - that way Kageyama could use the "my friend's dog ate my homework" excuse - but Kags was sleeping, now curled against Hinata's chest with Hinata's arms wrapped around him, and Kageyama didn't have the heart to disturb either of them.

Another while passed. Kageyama was still stuck on the fourth question in the exam that was due Friday. It was over for him, and he knew it. He didn't remember ever studying for this test - didn't remember any teacher ever even _going over_ it before.

Finally, he moved on to the next question. He really hated this. After a while went and he still had no luck, he reached over, poking Hinata's shoulder with the eraser of his pencil.

"Whad'ya want?" Hinata slurred, sounding half-asleep. "I'm tired. Leave me alone."

Kageyama poked him again. "Oy. Have you taken your temperature recently?"

"No."

"Do it now."

"No."

"Hinata."

"Go away."

Kageyama stood up, put his homework and pencil on the floor, and then rounded Hinata's desk. On it, there was a braille board and some other school supplies, and then a bottle of water, some cold patches, and a thermometer. Natsu or their mother must have left these for Hinata.

 _And of course the idiot didn't use any of them_ , Kageyama sighed to himself with a mental note to smack Hinata as soon as he was feeling better. He grabbed the thermometer, turned it on, and then sat back down on the chair.

Kageyama took up his pencil and prodded Hinata's shoulder once more. "Up."

"No."

Kageyama poked him again. "Yes."

"No."

Poke. "Yes."

"No."

Poke. "Yes."

"No - would you stop that!?" Hinata reached around, blindly grabbed Kageyama's pencil, and threw it across the room. It found resistance against the wall, broke in two pieces, and hit the floor.

Kageyama frowned. "You owe me a pencil."

"Can you please leave me alone?"

"No." He poked Hinata again, this time with the thermometer. "Take your temperature. And don't even think about throwing this around."

Hinata sighed heavily, finally relenting, probably realizing that Kageyama was never going to give up. "Fine," Hinata said, sitting up and shaking his head, probably to wake himself up a little. He looked just as bad as before, if not worse. He held out his hand expectantly. "Give it here."

Kageyama handed it to him, and Hinata stuck the tip of the thermometer under his tongue.

Kageyama leaned back in the chair, satisfied. "You know the saying, 'Idiots don't catch colds?'" said Kageyama.

Hinata frowned at him, but it was more of a glare. He pulled the thermometer out of his mouth momentarily. "I think I know where you're going with this," he grumbled, "and I'm just gonna say right now that obviously, since I'm sick, I'm not an idiot."

"No," said Kageyama, "I wasn't going to say that. I was going to say that you have to be even _more_ of an idiot than I thought if you're able to catch a cold while still being an idiot."

Hinata threw a pillow at him blindly, but his aim was so off Kageyama barely had to move to avoid it.

Hinata stuck the thermometer back in his mouth and leaned against the headboard of his bed, his arms crossed over his chest. "You suck," he muttered quietly.

"If you hadn't gotten sick this wouldn't have happened."

"I didn't ask you to visit me."

"It's your fault for not answering my calls or texts. Now shut your mouth, you're going to screw up the reading."

Hinata definitely didn't want to, but he listened to Kageyama, though his half-hearted, tired glare didn't falter. If Hinata didn't look so pathetic right now, Kageyama might actually feel threatened by it.

The thermometer beeped, and Hinata took it and handed it to Kageyama. "What does it say?" Hinata muttered.

Kageyama eyed the digital numbers with a frown.

 _39.3._

"Well you're definitely sick," Kageyama said, turning the thermometer off and setting it back on the desk, "I'll give you that. Guess idiots _can_ catch colds."

Hinata sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping in defeat (and maybe a little bit of disappointment, too). "Are you going to keep being a royal jerk or can I go to sleep again?"

"You can go to sleep, but I'm going to wake you up later and check your temperature again, deal?"

Hinata pulled his blankets up over his head and rolled over on his side; Kags repositioned himself, curling against his owner. "No," Hinata muttered. "No deal."

"Okay, fine. I'll make you do it."

"You really _are_ a jerk."

"You're gonna have to learn to deal with that, too, if you're going to keep being a brat over taking your temperature."

"Goodbye, I'm ignoring you now."

...

It didn't get any better as the afternoon turned into evening, and evening into night. Kageyama had phoned his parents, letting them know he'd be home late because he was visiting a sick friend, and then spoke with Hinata's mother regarding an extended visit.

At first, Hinata's mother had objected to Kageyama staying _at all_ , just in case Hinata was contagious, but Kageyama assured her that he didn't get sick easily, and even if he did, he didn't mind. Afterwards, Hinata's mother had graciously offered to let him stay the night, if he didn't want to walk home by himself after dark.

Kageyama had accepted the offer, and here he was, still up in Hinata's stuffy room, trying (and failing) to do his homework.

Kageyama had stuck a cold patch to Hinata's forehead a little while ago, when he was frustrated by the temperature's second reading (39.7, not too bad but higher than it was before). After that, Hinata had gone to sleep, and since then hadn't woken up.

Kageyama got up from the chair and cracked the window, then returned to his seat and his homework, which he surely wouldn't get a passing grade on.

Right now, he sort of felt like he was making up for past time, from back when Hinata was in the hospital and Kageyama had barely visited. He'd always regretted not visiting the spiker with the rest of the team when they went for frequent (almost daily) visits.

So Kageyama was more than happy to watch over Hinata now, because now he didn't feel quite as guilty for not paying the hospital more visits.

Hinata wasn't exactly sleeping, but he wasn't exactly awake, either. He dozed restlessly on and off, beads of sweat rolling down his flushed cheeks; Kageyama decided he was definitely worse than he'd been when the setter first arrived.

 _I wonder if I should get his mom…_ Kageyama thought, and then decided that he would wake Mrs. Hinata if Hinata's temperature got into the forties on the thermometer.

But he was worried now. His homework forgotten entirely, he watched Hinata like a hawk from his chair by the bedside, Kags the service dog doing the same, though much more subtly. Kageyama bit his lip, entwining his fingers and resting his chin on them, his elbows on his knees.

He thought for a moment or two, and then reached over, gently poking Hinata's shoulder. "Hey, idiot," Kageyama said quietly, "wake up for a sec."

Hinata stirred, and then blinked open tired, glassy eyes to glance in Kageyama's general direction. He looked worse when he was awake. "Whaddup?" he slurred, his voice a quiet rasp. He didn't even sound angry for being awoken, and this bothered Kageyama more than anything. The fact that he didn't even feel up to putting up a fight anymore was extremely worrying.

"Sorry. I wanna take your temp again," Kageyama said, grabbing the thermometer off the desk again. Hinata didn't even sit up this time; he just accepted the thermometer from Kageyama and stuck it under his tongue. After that, he shut his eyes again.

Kageyama waited impatiently for the reading, and when it finally came, he took the thermometer (he was pretty sure Hinata was sleeping again) and checked the digital numbers.

 _39.8._

He bit his lip.

"What's it say?" Hinata asked him, cracking open his eyes. It seemed he was not as asleep as Kageyama initially thought.

Kageyama turned off the thermometer and set it aside. "Not any better," Kageyama answered. He didn't give Hinata the whole truth (that he was steadily getting worse) because he assumed that was information Hinata didn't need to know.

Not now, anyways.

"Just go to sleep, idiot," Kageyama said, checking his phone for the time. "It's late."

Hinata nodded tiredly and took his advice.

Kageyama knew he was bad at this. He was _bad at this_ , this whole "taking care of his friends" thing, and if it didn't show before, it was definitely showing now. He felt completely useless right now. He was pretty sure Kags the freaking _service dog_ could take care of Hinata better than he, Kageyama, a person, could.

This was ridiculous. This was _all_ ridiculous and Kageyama hated it. He should have been better at stuff like this. What was he supposed to do? Hinata was sleeping fitfully again; should Kageyama go get his mother? Should he try and get him to drink some water? Replace the cold patch? Find some ibuprofen or something?

Kageyama didn't quite know what to do and he hated it

So he paced. He paced relentlessly, his steps creating hollow _thumps_ against the floor below. He shut the window and went back to pacing; he put his homework back in his backpack and went back to pacing; he replaced the cold plaster on Hianta's forehead and went back to pacing.

Pacing, pacing, pacing, pacing-

"I can hear you. Stop it."

Kageyama halted mid-step, and then murmured "Sorry" and crossed the room, taking residence on the chair once again.

"You don't need to worry," Hinata told him, not bothering to open his eyes. It wasn't like he could actually _see_ Kageyama, anyway. "I get bugs like this a lot. I'll be fine."

Kageyama swallowed. Seeing Hinata bedridden brought back some unpleasant memories.

"...You kinda look like you're dying," Kageyama said, twiddling his thumbs.

"Yep, but'm not. I'll be fine. Chill out."

Kageyama thought this over, and then nodded. Hinata was right (even though Kageyama didn't want to admit it). Worrying wasn't going to benefit either of them.

"You don't have to stay, y'know," Hinata told him quietly, but frankly. "You've got school tomorrow, you can go home-"

"No thanks, I'll pass."

"Ya serious? Why?"

"Because you're sick, obviously."

"...But...why?"

Kageyama sighed heavily. "Because I'm your _friend_ , idiot."

There was a pause, and then, "...Okay," Hinata said, and he sounded genuinely grateful beneath his exhaustion. "Thanks..."

Kageyama nodded. "Yeah, whatever, just get some sleep."

"Okay, Bakayama."

"Oy. _You're_ the idiot here, not me."

"Keep tellin' yourself that…"

He opened his mouth to say something else, and then stopped. Hinata had fallen asleep again.

He sighed heavily and put two fingers against his temple. Well, in the end, it didn't really matter whether he knew what to do in this situation or not. Just being there was enough.

That what friends really did, wasn't it? Real friends, anyways, the true ones. They stuck with each other, supported each other, were overall just _there_ for each other.

 _Yeah,_ Kageyama decided, _I guess just being here's enough for now_ …

Tomorrow morning, when Mrs. Hinata crept quietly up the stairs to check on her son, she found Kageyama asleep on the floor and Hinata sleeping soundly, his fever finally broken. A little later on, Kageyama thanked Mrs. Hinata for her hospitality, bade the sleeping spiker farewell, and headed back to his own house.

And if Kageyama had to call in sick because he caught Hinata's virus, well…

...Hinata didn't need to know that.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So from here on out updates are gonna be really random and sporadic unfortunately, and they probably won't be very often, either - I've been having some health issues (nothing serious, but still) so everything's up in the air right now.**

 **This story's going to be set as "complete" for now and updated every now and then, because of how crazy everything's been for me lately. Sorry 'bout that.**

 **Anyways, this was requested by Iris Patton, so shout-out to them for the idea. :) As to everyone else who has left an idea, I have taken them into consideration. :D If you have any other ideas you want to share, feel free to do so! :D Remember, I specialize in angst and hurt/comfort. :)**

 **And the usual shout-outs:**

 **Favorites/Followers:**

 **7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, 1, NKelley756, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, .456, .3, m is for mochi, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, InsanityOwl, Meiyo12, Monki91, MysteryElv, Nona-96, RepeatingSimplePhrases, Yukio4, happycookie2300, .3, and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And now for the reviewers:**

 **Pawoon (Guest): Hahaha my bad! Stupid typos! XD And you're welcome! I usually try to update at least reasonably quickly. :) Thanks for the review!**

 **RANDOMFUJOSHI (Guest): That's a great idea! I love the idea of Karasuno (plus other teams like Nekoma etc.) forming a Hinata Protection Squad. Great idea! :D Thanks for the idea, and for the review! :)**

 **Mim (Guest): That's a great idea! You know what, I think that's what I'll do, time-line wise; introduce Yachi a little earlier on than the series does, and then continue with Ushijima's arrival, the training camp, and so on and so forth. Thank you for the ideas! They're fantabulous! :D And thank you so much for the feedback! I know, I'm like that, too; I love angst and such, but it needs the right amount of comfort to balance it out, or else it gets boring/repetitive/depressing. I'm so glad you like it! :D Thank you so much for the review! :D**

 **KisunaFuji: Aww thank you! :D Yes, I'm going to have a TON of fun writing the other team's reactions to this whole situation, especially Oikawa's and Bokuto's. So yeah! I'm looking forward to that! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **FanWriter02: Yeah, no problem! You took the time to leave a review, so I wanted to take the time to leave a reply. :D I think I'm definitely going to get back into the HTTYD fandom soon; you can check my profile if you want for details, I updated the information regarding my HTTYD fics. I'll probably do most my posting during Spring or Summer Break, where I'll have more time to write. :D Thanks for the review! (And for loving my stories! :D)**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Yeah I love Tsukishima and Kageyama. I seriously think they'd kind of mutually team up against anyone who ever messed with Hinata. I'll probably be including more of that in this story. :) Oh, poor Hinata...yeah, the crowds will probably be a problem...he'll probably be okay, though! But no spoilers! XD Thanks for the review!**

 **Iris Patton: So I did your request! *points* And I loved it! :D I'm so glad you liked the story so far and I hope you continue to like it throughout! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **GuardianWitchDemiGhost: That's a great idea! :D I think, because of the timeline I've decided to use (you can see my reply to the user** **Mim (Guest)** **a little further above), that the former Coach Ukai is definitely going to play a role in mentoring Hinata. :D And that's brilliant! There'll be plenty of Kageyama defending Hinata in this fic, so it might be cool to switch it around! Thanks for the review, and for the suggestions! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: Hahaha! I was like that, too, in posting this chapter. I was like "Nah I should wait until the morning" and then I was like "Nah you know what I'm just gonna post it now." XD I think Tsukishima and Kageyama would make the greatest "don't-you-dare-mess-with-my-friend" team ever. They'd definitely be a force to be reckoned with. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 _ **ONE LAST FINAL AUTHOR'S NOTE TO EVERYONE:**_ **Honestly guys, if it weren't for all your support, I probably would have stopped writing this story a long time ago, so thank you ALL SO MUCH for all your continued support on this story! I hope you continue to read and enjoy it all the way till its conclusion! :D THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!**

 **Until next chapter!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	9. OMAKE - Hinata Protection Squad

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****SPECIFIC CHAPTER WARNING: This chapter contains mentions/implications of bullying. I just wanted to warn everybody ahead of time. If you're sensitive with subject material like that, then this chapter might not be for you.*****

 **…**

He was in pain. That was really the only thing he was fully aware of at the moment.

His head hurt, his face hurt, his ankle hurt, his chest hurt, and there was something cold against his cheek - cement, probably, the sidewalk of the school grounds. He was vaguely aware of Kags, still growling and snarling; not at him, of course. At something else.

At some _one_ else.

Hinata wasn't actually sure what happened, but he could speculate. He'd actually gotten pretty good at speculating recently, because now that he couldn't see, the only thing he had left were the imagines his imagination thought up (and the sounds he heard, of course).

Somebody had hurt him. Not by accident. Somebody had hurt him with the intention of hurting him. Someone had hurt him on purpose.

He pushed himself onto his hands, feeling stray tears streak down his face. He didn't know why he was crying. Maybe it was a mixture of things; maybe it was his body finally caving in after everything he'd been through the past couple months, dealing with stress and fear and, of course, the fact that he'd been robbed of his sight.

Adding this to the mix was...just too much.

So he cried. Kags stopped snarling and moved over to him curiously, and Hinata judged the distance and lunged, wrapping his arms around his service dog tightly - the only living comfort he had at the moment.

He didn't want to move. He hoped his ankle was just sprained, but it didn't exactly feel _right_. He really hoped it wasn't broken.

He was breathing too fast. His heart was too fast. His thoughts were too fast. Everything was just _too fast_ and he couldn't think anymore.

Finally, after a long time of just doing nothing but clinging to Kags like his life depended on it, Hinata finally managed to fish his phone from his pocket. He called the first person who came to mind and held the phone to his ear with a shaking hand.

And then he waited, tears still streaming down his face, his breathing still much too fast.

" _Yeah, what do you want, idiot?"_

And then came Kageyama's voice, and Hinata could have laughed in relief. Could have.

"K-Kageyama," he stuttered and choked around his harsh breathing.

That was all he got the chance to say before Kageyama's tone changed entirely.

" _Hinata, what happened?"_ he demanded instantly - maybe even a little bit frantically, too. _"What happened? Where are you? Hinata, talk to me."_

"K-Kageyama, I…" Hinata tried again, but it was getting increasingly hard to breathe and he was feeling lightheaded. "N-Near the...t-the end of the s-school grounds…"

He heard footsteps. Kageyama was running. _"Okay. I'm coming. Stay on the phone. Don't you dare hang up."_

Even if Kageyama hadn't threatened him, Hinata wouldn't have even _thought_ about hanging up. He needed someone. _Anyone_. He didn't know why but he needed someone with him right now, and Kageyama would be there soon.

" _Oi, idiot! Stay on the phone with me!"_

Hinata nodded - and then remembered that Kageyama couldn't see him. "O-Okay," he stuttered. His breathing was all over the place. He could feel an unnatural darkness creeping in on him and prayed he didn't pass out.

" _Breathe. I can tell you're panicking. You've gotta breathe."_

"I c-cant." He paused. "Kageyama, I'm...I-I'm scared."

He heard Kageyama swear. _"Just...just_ hang in there _, Hinata. Hang in there, I'm almost there."_

"H-Hurry. P-P-Please."

He tried calming down, really, he did, but the rest of his body just wasn't having it. The longer this went on, the harder it was to think and breathe. It reminded him of his panic attack from before.

 _Is...is this another panic attack?_

He really hoped it wasn't.

" _Are you by a building?"_

Hinata reached over; his hand met a brick wall. "Y-Yes."

" _Okay. Hang on."_

He could hear the panic in Kageyama's voice, too. The setter had done a good job of hiding it before, but now, it was beginning to leak into Kageyama's voice, and Hinata could tell.

 _Please find me_ , he pleaded desperately. _Please find me, please find me, please find me-_

He suddenly heard footsteps. Kags jumped away from him and snarled (once again, not at him), probably to protect Hinata just in case the bullies had returned.

But then, Kags stopped, and Hinata knew he was saved.

"Hinata!" That was Kageyama's voice, and he heard it from his phone _and_ from right in front of him. The call ended, and Kageyama's hands were suddenly on his shoulders, squeezing tightly.

"Hinata, listen to me," Kageyama said firmly, shaking him just enough to get his attention. "It's okay. You're safe. Do you feel this, idiot?" He shook him again. "I'm here."

Hinata still couldn't breathe properly, but he felt a little better now that he wasn't alone. "K-Kageyama…"

"Breathe. Four seconds in, four seconds out. Remember, you're okay. It's scary, but you're okay. You can get through this. Just breathe."

Kageyama was handing this much better than before. Hinata listened to him and closed his eyes, taking deep breaths through his nose and releasing the breaths from his mouth.

"Better?" Kageyama asked.

Hinata nodded shakily.

"Okay. Tell me what you need right now." Kageyama's words were textbook, like he'd spent hours memorizing it - who knew? Maybe he had.

"J-Just…" Hinata paused. "Don't leave me alone."

"I won't."

Kageyama moved, sitting beside him instead of in front of him. He kept one hand firmly on Hinata's shoulder. Kags bumped his head beneath Hinata's arm, and Hinata ran his hand along the dog's fluffy head.

Finally, he managed to calm down. He could breathe again. Kageyama didn't ask what had happened; either the setter had already guessed, or he'd decided it didn't matter at the moment. Either way was fine with Hinata, because it meant that he didn't have to tell Kageyama what had happened.

He didn't really want to think about it.

"Are you okay?" Kageyama asked after at least ten minutes (give or take) had passed.

Hinata still felt shaky and dizzy, but he could breathe now. So he nodded. He'd be okay now.

"Thanks...for coming," Hinata said, still somewhat breathless.

Kageyama squeezed his shoulder. "Don't thank me, moron. It's fine."

...

Kageyama had always worried about how the rest of the school would view Hinata after the accident which robbed the spiker of his sight.

At first, he didn't think very much of it - Hinata had told him before that most the high schoolers in his age group were his friends (which made sense as the idiot could befriend literally _everybody_ ) and would never bully him or treat him badly.

Hinata sucked at lying almost as badly as he sucked at serving, so Kageyama was able to tell right away that when Hinata told him that, he was telling the truth. It was all fine and well and dandy and whatnot, and Kageyama abandoned the subject for the longest time.

But maybe he shouldn't have.

He was on his way to the gym after a long day of dealing with school (and getting a failing grade on one of his tests) when his phone buzzed. He pulled it from his pocket, frowning at the caller.

 _Incoming Call: Stupid Hinata._

He paused briefly, and then flipped open his phone, putting it against his ear. "Yeah, what do you want, idiot?" he questioned.

 _"K-Kageyama…"_

Kageyama froze. Hinata's voice...it didn't sound like him at all. It was shaky, thick, and it actually took Kageyama a few minutes to realize the spiker had said his name.

Kageyama knew in that moment that something was definitely wrong.

"Hinata, what happened?" he questioned, because obviously something had happened to drive Hinata into this state. "What happened? Where are you? Hinata, talk to me."

He tried not to panic, really, he did, but he was sure that was what happened, anyways.

" _K-Kageyama, I…"_ There was a pause, in which Kageyama waited anxiously, hardly daring to breathe. _"N-Near the...t-the end of the s-school grounds…"_

That was all Kageyama had to hear before he took off running. The end of the school grounds, okay, Kageyama could find him. Kageyama _had_ to find him. He didn't know what would become of Hinata if he didn't.

"Okay," he said. "I'm coming. Stay on the phone. Don't you _dare_ hang up."

Hinata was panicking again, and Kageyama knew it, and he feared it, too. Hinata was alone - if he wasn't, then why did he call Kageyama in the first place? - and by the sound of his voice, he was scared out of his mind. Kageyama still didn't really know what was going on, but he had to find out.

It took him a few minutes before he realized Hinata hadn't replied.

"Oi, idiot!" he shouted, his feet pounding against the ground as he ran. He didn't feel out of breath even for a second. "Stay on the phone with me!"

A beat, and then, _"O-Okay_ ," and Kageyama was relieved. At least Hinata was still _conscious_ , but his breathing was heavy and labored and honestly, it was beginning to panic the setter more than he wished to admit.

But he could hide it. He could hide his panic if just for Hinata's sake.

"Breathe," Kageyama said firmly. "I can tell you're panicking. You've gotta breathe."

Hinata's answer came relatively quickly. _"I c-can't,"_ Hinata sobbed. _"K-Kageyama, I'm...I-I'm scared."_

And that put Kageyama over the edge. He swore under his breath, hoping Hinata didn't hear it, and ran twice as fast as before. Honestly, he didn't think he'd ever run this fast in his life.

"Just...just _hang in there_ , Hinata," he begged. "Hang in there, I'm almost there."

" _H-Hurry. P-P-Please."_

And Kageyama ran even faster.

Finally, he made it. The end of the school grounds. He looked around frantically, breathing heavily to catch his breath. There were buildings, but there was no telling just _where_ Hinata was.

So he asked. "Are you by a building?" he asked. He doubted Hinata was indoors; if he was, there would have been somebody else to help him.

" _Y-Yes."_

"Okay," said Kageyama, and he was running again, checking by every single building he passed. "Hang on." _Just hang on a little bit longer._ He really, _really_ hoped Hinata couldn't tell he was panicking.

Kageyama suddenly heard something growl, and he ran in that direction. He recognized the growl; it was almost as bizarre sounding as the animal's bark.

He turned the corner.

Kags was the first thing he saw. The service dog bared its teeth and snarled through them, and then stopped all at once when he recognized Kageyama. Kags was definitely on edge, but not the same "on edge" he'd been during Hinata's first panic attack.

No. Kags was _protecting_ Hinata now.

Something had hurt Hinata.

Kageyama buried his fury for the time being; he had other things to worry about right now. Kags stepped aside to let him by, and Kageyama charged forward.

"Hinata!" he shouted, terminating the call now that the spiker was right in front of him. He dropped his phone and raced over, kneeling in front of Hinata.

Hinata was sitting against the wall with his knees against his chest and his hands buried in his hair. His breathing was hoarse and sporadic; this was definitely some kind of panic attack.

Kageyama also noticed bruises, specifically one on Hinata's temple, but he didn't comment. He forced his anger back and focused on Hinata instead, moving his hands to grip his teammate's shoulders.

"Hinata, listen to me," Kageyama said, and he shook Hinata, just slightly. "It's okay. You're safe. Do you feel this, idiot?" He shook the spiker once again. "I'm here."

After Hinata's first panic attack, Kageyama had spent hours doing research on what to do if you were with someone while they had a panic attack. He'd memorized every word of it, which was saying a lot, as he hated memorizing anything other than volleyball signals and new techniques.

He'd done it just in case, and now he was so, _so_ glad that he did.

"K-Kageyama…" Hinata stuttered.

"Breathe," Kageyama interrupted, calling to mind all the research he'd done and the information he'd learned. "Four seconds in, four seconds out. Remember, you're okay. It's scary, but you're okay. You can get through this. Just breathe."

He was quoting what he'd read one should say to someone during a panic attack, but he was sincere about it, too. He was worried and anxious, but he managed to keep up this calm, outward act for Hinata's sake.

Finally, Hinata's breathing calmed down some, and a lot of Kageyama's worry diminished. "Better?" he inquired quietly, and Hinata nodded, eyes closed.

"Okay," said Kageyama. "Tell me what you need right now."

"J-Just…don't leave me alone."

Kageyama nodded firmly. "I won't." And he wouldn't. He shifted positions, maintaining hold on Hinata's shoulder all the while, and sat next to him, leaning against the wall. After a little while, Kags moved over, too, snuggling at Hinata's side. Hinata jumped, just slightly, and then relaxed, digging his fingers into Kags' fur.

A couple of minutes passed in silence.

"Are you okay?" Kageyama asked.

And Hinata nodded. His breathing was almost completely normal once again, and Kageyama felt so much relief it was unbelievable.

But now that his panic was beginning to leave, his anger and fury was steadily returning. Someone had done this to Hinata. Someone had hurt him. Someone had forced fear into Hinata so much so that he was driven into another panic attack.

When Kageyama found who was responsible…

"Thanks...for coming," Hinata said, quietly and breathlessly, and Kageyama was torn from his thoughts.

He squeezed Hinata's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't thank me, moron," he said. "It's fine."

But he was going to flat-out _murder_ whoever was responsible for this.

…

" _Yo, Kageyama! You never call me. What's up?"_

"Nishinoya, someone hurt Hinata."

Instantly, the other line went silent for a few moments, and when the libero's voice returned, it was full of malice.

" _Who,"_ he started, _"would_ dare _hurt Hinata?"_

"I don't know," said Kageyama, feeling just as much fury towards the bully as Nishinoya. "Not a first year, I know that much." After all, Hinata got along unbelievably well with the rest of the first years at Karasuno.

" _I'm getting Tanaka. We're not taking this sitting down."_

Kageyama had to agree. "I'm taking Hinata home now," Kageyama told Nishinoya. "We won't be at club."

" _I figured. I'll tell everyone else. Take care of my kohai."_

"You bet. Oh, and Nishinoya...if you're looking for suspects, check for bite marks. Kags didn't take it sitting down."

" _Tell him good dog from me. And thanks. I'll let you know if we find anything."_

 _Click_.

Kageyama pocketed his phone and turned back to face Hinata, who was fidgeting restlessly, shaking on his feet. "Alright," he said, "you're going home. Now."

Hinata didn't object, and this might have been the most worrisome thing of all.

…

Hinata didn't go to school for a little while after that. Kageyama headed down the sidewalks towards Karasuno, alone. Usually, Hinata would walk with him - or, moreover, Kageyama would walk with Hinata - but now, he was by himself, and the silence was annoying and tedious.

Kageyama still swore revenge on whoever dared lay a finger on Hinata. He didn't care who it was; he would make them pay.

In between classes, he would snoop the halls, searching for anyone with a tell-tale bite mark from when Hinata's service dog had attacked in defense of his owner. He passed Nishinoya and Tanaka in the halls as well; they were after the same thing.

"Sugawara, Daichi and Asahi are looking at the third years," Nishinoya told Kageyama in passing. "Let us know if you see anything."

And Kageyama nodded. It was like the entire volleyball team was after this bully; Kageyama even caught Tsukishima and Yamaguchi eyeing a suspicious first year (who turned out to be innocent, by the way).

They found nothing until after the last lesson, when Kageyama was making his way down the halls to leave the school grounds. He passed a slim second-year and at first didn't think much of it, keeping his head low to the ground to avoid conversation.

But then, he caught sight of bandages wrapping the boy's shin, and he stopped instantly. The bandages had slipped down some, probably when the second-year was walking, and now, Kageyama could see teeth marks, just barely scabbing over.

This settled it.

Kageyama stopped and spun around the instant the second-year passed him. "Hey," he said lowly.

The second-year turned and glared at him. If Kageyama wasn't, well, _Kageyama_ , the glare would have scared the living daylights out of him. But of course, Kageyama wasn't easily scared by other people's threatening demeanors or appearances.

"Whatdda want?" the second-year demanded. "I haven't got all day, brat."

Kageyama was shaking, definitely not from fear, but from anger. He balled his fists at his sides, his teeth clenched so tightly he was in danger of grinding them. "Did you," he began, lowly and threateningly, "by chance, bump into a blind first-year with a service dog the other day?"

The second-year grinned, and Kageyama's fury reached its peak. "Dunno, I might've," said the second-year breezily, shrugging with feigned innocence. "So what if I did?"

And that was all he had the chance to say before Kageyama's fist met his face.

…

Kageyama knocked twice on the door, and it was answered in an instant by Natsu, who looked up at him oddly.

Natsu frowned, and then called over her shoulder, "Nii-chan, your friend from the volleyball club is here!" She stepped aside to let Kageyama in, accustomed to the setter's visits by now. Kageyama thanked her and pulled off his shoes at the door, then followed Natsu into the living room.

Hinata was sitting on the couch with Kags lying beside him.

"Morning, idiot," Kageyama greeted.

Hinata frowned in his direction. It'd only been two days since he was cornered at school, but the bruise on his head was ugly, a splotch of purple and blue, and there was an icepack on the couch side table which Hinata had been using on and off all day.

"What're you doing here, Bakayama?" Hinata asked. "It's a school day, isn't it? Shouldn't you be at Karasuno?"

Kageyama paused. "I…" He waited a bit, "...got suspended."

Hinata sat forward. "You what!?" he demanded. "What did you do!?" He paused, suddenly realizing. "You didn't. You _didn't_."

"I did."

"I told you not to!" Hinata protested. "You didn't have to make a big deal about it! I said I was fine."

"He hurt you."

"Yeah, but-"

"He _hurt_ you," Kageyama repeated. "End of story."

Hinata opened his mouth to object, and then thought better of it. He leaned against the back of the couch and crossed his arms. "How long?" he asked instead with a long, tired sigh.

"Two weeks," said Kageyama. "All I did was punch him."

Hinata muttered "all I did" mockingly under his breath, and Kageyama glared at him, though he knew Hinata couldn't see it.

There was another series of knocks on the front door, and Natsu ran to open it once again. This time, it was Nishinoya and Tanaka who entered, grinning and pulling off their shoes as they stepped through the door.

"Shōyō!" said Nishinoya, grinning, and he raced over, pursued by Tanaka. "How's it going?"

"Nishinoya?" said Hinata, frowning. "Wait, does this mean…?"

"Oy, Kageyama!" said Nishinoya, punching the setter on the shoulder - hard. "So you were suspended, too!"

" _Too!?"_ blurted Hinata. He looked so horrified it was unbelievable. "What did you _do!?"_

"So, Kageyama," said Tanaka, "how long you in for?"

"Two weeks."

"Am I even talking!?" Hinata cried.

"Ah! Man!" said Tanaka. "I've got three weeks!"

"I've got _four!"_ said Nishinoya. "Which means now I can spend four weeks looking after my kohai!" He reached over, ruffling Hinata's hair for emphasis, being careful not to touch the bruise on the younger's head.

"You guys shouldn't have done that," said Hinata.

"Well, that jerk got what he deserved," said Nishinoya, crossing his arms. "No one messes with a member of our team without facing the wrath of the rest of us."

Tanaka nodded and punched his fist into his open palm.

Hinata sighed, but then, he smiled faintly. "Well," he said, "at least I don't have to worry about him anymore…"

"As long as we're here," said Tanaka, "no one will ever bother you again."

"I second that," said Nishinoya.  
"Third," said Kageyama.

…

Rumors flew and the story got twisted quite a bit as eye-witnessing students told other students, and those students told part of the story to other students. Before long, everyone knew about "the three members of the volleyball club who went crazy on some second-year punk who hurt their friend."

At first, it annoyed Kageyama to no end.

But then again, most people ended up being too scared to mess with Hinata after that. No one wanted to be on the receiving end of the volleyball club's wrath.

And anyone who _did_ mess with Hinata in the future found themselves in one unfortunate predicament after the other. Tsukishima spread rumors about said bullies ("The real strength lies in word of mouth," Tsukishima had said one day regarding Kageyama's, Nishinoya's, and Tanaka's outbursts, "not strength of fists.") and Sugawara was good at dropping subtle hints ("Touch my kohai again," Sugawara would say, smiling, which was even more terrifying, "and you'll regret it.")

Asahi and Daichi's very _presence_ was enough to scare the living daylights out of any students who threatened Hinata's safety, and the rest of the team took turns escorting Hinata through the halls and walking him home, though Kageyama did most of this.

No one would _ever_ hurt Hinata as far as the rest of his team was concerned.

And if they did, they would live to regret it.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I haven't exactly edited this yet but it's been so long since I last posted a chapter (whoops) so I wanted to give you lovely readers** _ **something**_ **so here it is! I hope you enjoyed it! :D And if you found any errors/typos please just ignore them; I'll get to them eventually! XD**

 **The next chapter's going to be really lighthearted and hopefully kind of funny, just to give you guys a break from the angst and whatnot of this fic, but after that I really don't know what's going to happen. I'll probably write some training camp chapters (like Bokuto teaching Hinata and Hinata and Kageyama finding a way to conquer the new quick) and then Ushijima's first encounter with Hinata and Kageyama (the one where Hinata jumps and steals Ushijima's ball).**

 **I'm also going to write about how Hinata deals with an actual match, like against Aoba Josai or something like that, and how the chanting audience affects how he moves on the court (because he's moving solely on what he hears and feels now).**

 **I'm also considering letting him try receiving Oikawa's serve...so, what do you guys think? Should I let Hinata try to receive Oikawa's serve? Let me know in a review! :D**

 **Speaking of which, shout-outs, beginning with the favoriters/followers and going down to the reviewers! :D Here's to 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And here's to the reviewers:**

 **ColorQuill (Guest) (I'm assuming it's you, but I could be wrong; there was no name left with the review, so I guessed. I'm sorry if I got it wrong!): No worries at all! I'm sorry you were going through a tough time. I'm glad my writing was able to lift your spirits a bit! I hope you're doing well now! :) Thanks for the review!**

 **RandomFujoshi: Here is more blind Hinata for your heart. (And yeah, haha, I feel like such a bad person for writing this sometimes…) XD Thanks for the review!**

 **27aquarrow72: Haha thanks! XD**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Hahaha, yep, poor Kageyama. I found it pretty funny while I was writing it as well, so you're not alone. XD And I absolutely love Natsu. I don't know why, but I've always imagined her and Kageyama getting along really well. *shrugs* Thanks for reviewing (and you're welcome!) :D**

 **Iris Patton: Awww I LOVE Nishinoya and Sugawara! Those two are probably some of my favorite characters (though I say that about every character :/ XD). I'll definitely do some more bonding between those two and Hinata in the future! :D And you're welcome! You know how much I love my sick!fics. XD Thanks for reviewing (and I'm feeling better now, thank you so much! :D)! :D**

 **FanWriter02: Hi! (If you're still checking these chapters for my replies to your reviews. It's been a while so I wouldn't blame you if you weren't, hahaha. XD). I'm really looking forward to RttE season 4B! I'm planning on posting starting March 20 and see where I go from there, so we'll see how it goes. :) Well, anyways, hopefully I'll see you around when I start posting HttYD stories! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **And a special thank you to everyone else who reads and doesn't review/fav/follow! I know you're out there! XD See you all next time!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	10. OMAKE - Their First and Last Movie Night

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****SPECIFIC CHAPTER WARNING: Heh heh heh heh heh horror movie night 'nuff said.*****

 **…**

Kageyama stared down at the DVD case, frowning at the cover photo. A silhouette of a chandelier against a red-carpet between walls lined with hotel room doors stared back at him, almost tauntingly. There was a window at the end of the hallway, and a flash of lightning beyond illuminated the words "Hotel 9" in neon red cursive letters. They looked innocent enough, but that was scarier.

"This is a bad idea," Kageyama decided, raising his head.

Tanaka and Nishinoya were on the other side of the room, fiddling with the DVD player while, in the kitchen nearby, Sugawara and Asahi were making popcorn. Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were sitting on the couch in front of the TV, the former looking bored and the latter looking vaguely intrigued.

"I'm sure it's fine," Daichi answered, moving over, taking the DVD case and handing it to the waiting Nishinoya, who in turn popped the disc into the player. "Besides, we all agreed on it."

"I know," said Kageyama, "but…" He glanced over at Hinata, who was sitting beside Yamaguchi on the couch. Kags the service dog sat on the floor at his feet. Wordlessly, Kageyama pointed a finger at Hinata.

Daichi put up his hands. "He said he didn't mind," said Daichi.

Kageyama frowned. He had a hard time believing Hinata was really "fine" with this whole thing.

He didn't remember agreeing to this, actually, at all. Hinata just asked him randomly one day, "So, you coming with us to Daichi's to watch the movie tonight?" and Kageyama didn't really have a choice.

Who's idea had it been to have a movie night at Daichi's place, again? And an even _more_ important question was, _who the heck decided on a horror movie?_

Kageyama didn't have time to think about it.

"There we go!" Nishinoya cheered, springing back and landing perfectly on the couch (Tsukishima scooted over a bit, but if anyone noticed, they ignored it). Tanaka tossed the libero the remote, and he caught it effortlessly.

"Yes! Finally!" Hinata said. "This is going to be fun, I can tell!"

Kageyama seriously doubted that, but he didn't comment. Asahi and Sugawara returned from the kitchen a moment later empty-handed; they'd given up on the popcorn

"Great!" said Nishinoya. "The gang's all here! Come on, I'm tired of waiting!"

The rest of the team shuffled over to the couch and got situated. Asahi, Daichi, Sugawara and Tanaka seated themselves on the floor in front of the couch while Hinata and Kageyama sat next to Nishinoya. Kyoko and Yachi were busy tonight and unable to make it, and the rest of the team had decided that no, they did _not_ want to watch a horror movie at nine o'clock at night, thank you very much.

(Kageyama envied them all.)

The disc finished loading, the menu popped up on the screen (a still, too-innocent picture of a hotel lobby), and Nishinoya hit the play button instantly.

Kageyama glanced at Hinata. "Want me to narrate what's going on?" he offered.

Hinata shook his head. "Nope," he said. "I'm gonna listen and try guessing."

Kageyama blanched. Considering the genre of the movie, that might not be the best idea. But of course, he didn't say anything. The movie had begun.

…

It started off fine. Almost _too_ fine, actually. A girl and her father had come to the Hotel 9 for an extended vacation. Nothing was suspicious; no flashing lights, no creepy bellboys, no suspicious "off-limit" rooms…

"Somebody's gonna die," said Nishinoya out of the blue, eyes glued to the screen. "I just know it."

Asahi blanched. "Don't - don't say stuff like that, Noya!" he protested, bringing his hands up to cover his eyes.

"What?" said Nishinoya, frowning, looking genuinely confused by Asahi's reaction. "You guys saw the cover, right? It's obvious someone's gonna-"

"SHHHHH!" Daichi hissed. "We're trying to watch it!"

Kageyama saw Sugawara swallow heavily. The movie went on, but now, thanks to Nishinoya, everything felt _off_.

Kageyama noticed subtle changes in the music and atmosphere, the manner of which the characters spoke and interacted with each other. Nothing had gone wrong so far, but that was almost scarier.

Kageyama decided at that moment that this had definitely been a bad idea.

…

Everything went downhill from that moment on. Night had fallen at Hotel 9, and the leading protagonist realized that she'd left one of her bags downstairs, in the lobby, and was going to get it.

"No, don't go alone!" Asahi cried, burying his face in his hands. "Please don't go alone - oh no, she's going alone, oh no-"

"Asahi, be quiet!" Tanaka snapped, elbowing their gentle giant of an ace. "It's starting to get good!"

Tsukishima rolled his eyes to the roof. "Tch," he muttered. "You're seriously into this? I saw this movie last year, it's not that-"

A loud, collective "SHHHHHH!" interrupted him, and Tsukishima, with a final roll of his eyes, fell silent and looked back at the screen. The girl was now walking down the hallway showed on the DVD's case, with lightning flashing - silently, eerily enough - in the window behind her.

She was walking slowly, looking around at every single little sound. There was a creak and a low roll of thunder, and she continued down the hallway, cautiously. The music was playing quiet, off-pitched strings, and the girl was beginning to look frantic.

"She should have taken a flashlight," Yamaguchi whimpered, squeezing the life out of one of the couch's throw pillows. "She should have grabbed a flashlight _why didn't she take a flashlight…"_

"She should've taken a golf club, too, just in case," Kageyama muttered. His hands were folded, and he was biting his lip. He stared at the screen, frowning, and then looked beside him at Hinata.

He couldn't see the screen, of course, but he was getting unbelievably well at determining the situation thanks to the sounds he heard - which, in this case, was lightning, footsteps, and of course that eerie soundtrack.

"Oy, idiot, you alright?" Kageyama inquired. Hinata didn't look _scared,_ per se, but he was fidgeting quite a bit, to the point where it actually made Kageyama uncomfortable - plus he still hadn't let go of Kageyama's arm since the film started.

"Oh, yeah, I'm okay," Hinata said, nodding, but he said it as though to convince himself. Kageyama thought about saying something else, but didn't - his attention was, once again, taken by the film.

The girl on the screen was coming to a blind turn up ahead. The show's antsy audience leaned forward in anticipation. The music was steadily climbing, reaching its peak, and the girl was getting closer to the turn, closer and closer, her breathing increasing drastically, and the lightning was still flashing behind her, and the floorboards were creaking, and everything was slowly reaching the climax and she finally turned the corner -

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Hinata's blood curdling scream broke the silence, and everyone was so shocked and hyped with anticipation that they, too, screamed loudly - even Tsukishima, though he'd feign innocence when the subject was brought up later.

"HINATA!" they all groaned collectively.

"You idiot!" Kageyama snapped, looking up at the screen. The girl had turned the corner finally, revealing another empty hallway, this one leading to the elevator.

"There wasn't even anything there!" Kageyama yelled, cuffing Hinata on the back of the head.

"I'm sorry!" Hinata cried, putting his hands up in front of his face defensively. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't take the suspense!"

"You can't even _see_ anything!"

"But the music was scary! And I could hear her breathing, and the lightning, and her footsteps-!"

"Just don't do that again, Shōyō!" said Nishinoya, reaching over and ruffling the spiker's hair.

Sugawara breathed heavily, one hand over his pounding heart. "There's goes ten years off my lifespan," he whispered to himself, just loud enough for Kageyama to hear.

…

"Ooh! Look! The cleaning lady!" said Nishinoya, looking at said character on the screen. "She's kinda cute…"

There was a beat.

"OH CRAP NO SHE'S NOT! NO! DON'T TRUST THE CLEANING LADY, SHE'S EVIL - OH DARN IT _NO! NO! DON'T FOLLOW HER INTO THE BROOM CLOSET - AW DANGIT."_

"Aaaaand there goes the only normal side character: the friendly bellboy," said Tsukishima. "We're not going to be seeing him again."

"Tsukishima," Daichi said warningly.

"Another one bites the dust," Nishinoya sighed, drawing a fifth tally mark on a piece of paper he'd ripped out of a notebook.

"Since when do you have a hit list!?" Yamaguchi shrieked, looking mortified.

"Since we got tired of counting how many characters died!" Tanaka retorted; he, too, was in on it.

Yamaguchi looked ready to have a heart attack. "Why are you keeping count!?"

"Wait, someone else died?" said Hinata, blinking. "I didn't even hear that…"

"Silent death," said Tanaka gravely. "It's always the most horrifying in these kinds of movies…"

...

"It's the girl's father!" Kageyama snapped his fingers, making everyone jump. They were about half-way into the film, and Kageyama was sure he'd figured it out. "He has something to do with this, I know it!"

Tsukishima clicked his tongue. "It's not her father," he said, "it's the-"

"SPOILERS!" Nishinoya screeched at the top of his lungs, lunging across the couch and karate-chopping Tsukishima's side. "JUST WATCH THE SHOW LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE!"

"It's her father," said Kageyama, nodding thoughtfully at the screen. "He seemed suspicious ever since he tipped the bellboy…" And that was true; Kageyama had always found the protagonist's father to be a little on the strange side. After all, what kind of lunatic visits a _hotel_ with _red neon letters?_

"I hope not," said Hinata quietly. He _still_ hadn't let go of Kageyama's arm, and now Kageyama felt pins and needles shoot up and down his forearm. "He's the only person who hasn't killed anyone yet…"

"I guess that makes him more suspicious," said Tanaka thoughtfully, "the fact that he's _too_ innocent…"

That wasn't reassuring _at all_.

…

The movie was reaching its climax. The mysteries behind Hotel 9 were out in the open. The girl was, once again, walking down a long hallway. There were tears on her face and the carpet was stained by a dark _something_ \- Kageyama was pretty sure it was blood - and if everyone had been antsy before, they were _dying_ of anticipation now. Even Daichi, who was known for keeping a level-head, looked unnerved.

Behind the girl was a dark silhouette, a shadowy figure, slowly closing in on her, but she didn't notice. She was too focused on what was right in front of her to notice her attacker was coming up from behind.

"Turn around," Kageyama snapped at the girl on the screen. "Turn around, _turn around you idiot-"_

"She's gonna die, isn't she?" Hinata whimpered. "She's gonna die she's gonna die she's gonna die she'sgonnadieshe'sgonnadie-"

Asahi was chanting something under his breath, too, and it sounded suspiciously like "Think about volleyball, think about volleyball, think about volleyball..."

"Turn around," Nishinoya and Tanaka demanded the protagonist in vain, their hands curled into fists on their knees. "Turn around, _turn around_ , it's right behind you - AAAHHHHHHHHHHH!"

The shadow suddenly pounced, and loud, ear-piercing screams echoed throughout the living room, from both the TV and its audience. Sugawara slapped his hand over Hinata's eyes (which didn't make any difference, of course) and looked away himself while Asahi pulled a nearby blanket over his head. Nishinoya was using a throw pillow like a helmet to shield his face, Yamaguchi was _still_ screaming, Tsukishima was covering his ears, and Kageyama had leapt to his feet, shouting a string of profanities at the screen while Daichi told him to calm down, though the captain looked just as mortified as the rest of his team.

This...had definitely been a bad idea.

…

"Alright, everyone! That's all!" Daichi said, clapping his hands together and turning off the accursed film as soon as the credits started rolling. Sugawara got up and turned the lights on as fast as physically possible, and if anyone noticed how he raced back to the couch, they didn't comment.

"That's eleven to three," said Tanaka, looking down at his hit list. "Eleven dead, three survivors. And of course they're all friggin' monsters."

"Wait, it's over?" Nishinoya pouted; beside him, Tsukishima and Yamaguchi stood up, Yamaguchi hiding behind Tsukishima like his life depended on it. "Aww, I was hoping we'd see more…"

"It was long enough," Asahi said, burying his face in his hands yet again. "I'm not going to be able to sleep for a week…"

"I was sure I had the plot figured out," Kageyama complained, looking away thoughtfully, "but…" He hesitated. "I may have been...slightly wrong."

"Shocker," Hinata said cheekily. Kageyama swung; Hinata ducked (Hinata was actually an expert of dodging Kageyama now, using the same technique he used while receiving balls on the court).

"I didn't think it was that scary," said Tanaka, getting up. "Honestly, though, with all those jump scares, I'm surprised we aren't scraping Hinata off the ceiling."

"What? Hey! I wasn't _that_ scared!" Hinata protested. "Kageyama, vouch for me!"

"No."

"Eh!? Traitor!"

"Shut up."

"You screamed like a two year old girl on a roller coaster," Tsukishima told Hinata, deadpan, even though there was definitely a silent smirk gleaming in his eyes.

"T-That's different!" Hinata stuttered, but he was obviously fighting a losing battle. "I wasn't actually scared! I was just...um…"

"Well, that's it," said Daichi, cutting in before Tsukishima and Hinata continued. "The movie's over, so why don't you all go home?"

The room fell silent. The sound of a pin dropping probably would have hurt their ears.

"G-Go...home?" Yamaguchi asked, terror evident in his voice, finally breaking the heavy silence.

"I-In the d-dark?" Asahi chimed in, his voice shaking ridiculously.

"But...I don't want to die!" Hinata shrieked, digging his hands into his hair. His confident "I wasn't scared!" was completely left in the dust now. "P-People always die in the dark when they're walking home alone!"

"In the dumb movies they do," Tsukishima sighed.

"Don't worry, Hinata!" Tanaka shouted enthusiastically, jabbing his thumb at his chest. "Your senpais will walk you home!"

"That's right!" agreed Nishinoya, nodding firmly.

Hinata's face lit up. "Really!? Thank you! You're the best!"

"No problem!" said Tanaka, grinning widely. "So, where do you live? A few blocks away or something?"

"No," said Hinata, shaking his head, "I live over the mountains, remember? It's a little over an hour from here."

Tanaka and Nishinoya stopped smiling. "Over...the mountains," said Tanaka slowly.

"In the dark," said Nishinoya.

"Away from society," said Tanaka.

"Away from the city," said Nishinoya.

They looked back at Hinata, and then laid their hands on his shoulders.

"You're on your own, Hinata," they said, firmly and in unison.

Hinata looked ready to explode. "WHAT!? WHY!?" he yelled (Sugawara covered his ears). "You just said you would walk me home!"

Kageyama rolled his eyes and sighed. Of course. "Fine," he said, " _I'll_ walk you home, idiot."

Hinata was protesting as soon as the words were out of his mouth. "No, no, no! That makes it scarier!" Hinata cried, to which Kageyama glared.

"More scary," Tsukishima corrected.

"Proper grammar doesn't matter if you're dead!" Hinata said. "And I don't want to die! I'm too young!"

"Okay, okay, I think I know how we should do this!" said Tanaka, spreading his hands. "We'll go in teams of two and walk each other to our houses."

"But even when we do that," said Tsukishima, "won't the second person have to go by themselves after the first one gets home?"

"Ah, you have a point!" said Tanaka, and then, under his breath, "even though I don't like admitting it...okay! We'll go in teams of _three!"_

"You still have the same problem."

"Dangit, Tsukishima! Why don't you help us think of a solution instead of pointing out all our problems?"

Kageyama sighed. This entire situation was a train wreck that was never going to get better. "I still can't believe my theories were wrong," he said, re-running bits of the film through his head. "I was so sure her father had something to do with it…"

"Groups of four!" Tanaka was still going on.

Tsukishima shut him down once again. "You still have the same problem after the first three get home."

"Okay, okay, but hear me out - groups of _five-"_

"You're all hopeless."

"I don't want to die!" Hinata was still shouting, covering his ears with his hands as though that would somehow help. "If this was a horror movie, I'd die on my way home! Alone! I don't want that to happen!"

"No, you wouldn't be the guy who dies on his way home," said Tsukishima. "If this were a horror movie, you'd be that random extra that dies within the first ten seconds."

"Eek!"

"Tsukki! Please stop! You're making it worse!"

"GROUPS OF NINE!"

" _Tanaka, that's all of us!_ "

"I don't want to die I don't want to die _I don't want to die-!"_

"Groups of-"

"Tanaka, shut up!"

"No, I'm thinking of a solution-!"

"I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die I'm gonna die-"

"I think we broke Hinata!"

"You can add one more to the hit list, then."

" _TSUKISHIMA, YOU'RE NOT HELPING!"_

Yep. Definitely a train wreck.

Finally, it became too much. "ALRIGHT!" Daichi shouted, instantly ending every conversation in the room at once. Once all eyes were on him, Daichi went on, much calmer than before. "You can all stay here tonight! It's late, and I'm sure your parents wouldn't want you walking home at this hour. Just let them know where you are, alright?"

"MERCIFUL GOD DAICHI!" Nishinoya shrieked, bowing low to the ground, with Tanaka right beside him. "WE'RE NOT WORTHY!"

"Don't make me change my mind!" Daichi roared, and that was the end of that.

In the end, no one actually fell asleep, not with the more gruesome parts of "Hotel 9" fresh in their minds. So instead of just lying awake in the living room all night, they played board games and Truth or Dare until eventually, one by one, individually, they dropped off to sleep.

But before doing so, they made a solemn vow: never again would they have another movie night.

And if they did, they'd watch Pokemon.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So this is a more lighthearted chapter, I know. Hopefully I made a few of you laugh (or at least smile) because I know** _ **I**_ **was having a blast writing this.**

 **I've decided I'm not going to cover** _ **all**_ **of Haikyuu!, but I'm going to go over the key events. Basically what this means is I'm not going to cover the** _ **entire**_ **training camp from start to finish, but I** _ **am**_ **going to cover Hinata and Kageyama's new quick and Bokuto tutoring Hinata; I probably won't cover an** _ **entire**_ **match, but I'll cover Hinata learning how to listen to his team and drown out the cheering audience, or try to receive Oikawa's serves.**

 **ANYWAYS: We're gettin' back into the story, everyone! I'll still do bonus chapters, but the next few chappies are gonna follow the main plot of the story (taking up from where** _ **The Flight**_ **left off).**

 **NEXT UP ON** _ **LEARNING TO FLY WITH A BROKEN WING**_ **:  
** **Chapter Eleven,** _ **The Challenger**_

 **And now, shout-outs, beginning with the favoriters/followers and going down to the reviewers! :D Here's to 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Saphirabrightscale, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, MooseTalk, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And the reviewers:**

 **Iris Patton: I love Kags! He deserves all the dog treats in the world! :D I'm glad you liked the last chapter! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **ItsHoodButItsGood: Haha, yep, I getcha; I love hurt/comfort and I'm not actually entirely sure why. But anyways...yep! All of that's gonna happen! :D Thanks for reviewing, and I'm glad you still like this story! :D**

 **27aquarrow72: Hahahaha, thanks! :D**

 **KisunaFuji: I know, right? :)**

 **eBlue11: Right? Ain't no one mess with Hinata without facing the rage of the rest of the team (though I guess I kinda already established that in the last chapter, huh? XD). I'm pleased to meet you, too! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **TheRealKags: Hahaha, wow, I'm sorry. I bet that was** _ **really**_ **confusing for a lot of different reasons. XD Wow, seriously? Your favorite work on this site? I'm honored! Thank you so much! I will do my best to make sure this story remains your favorite! :D Thanks for reviewing! :D**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Hahahaha! That's fantastic! (And that's totally something the volleyball team would do...XD). I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! You've stuck with this fic ever since the beginning, so I'm glad you still enjoy it! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **RandomFujoshi: I LOVE THE IDEA OF A "HINATA PROTECTION SQUAD" SO I COULDN'T JUST** _ **NOT**_ **WRITE IT, RIGHT!? :D :D :D I'm so glad you still like this work! And I don't know if you got my PM, but you can definitely write a story based off this one! I'm seriously honored that you want to do that! :D :D :D Let me know when you start posting, 'kay? :D And thanks for the review! :D**

 **LostSilva: I think I will. :)**

 **And that's all for now! Thank you all! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	11. The Challenger

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

" _Hi, Kageyama! Um...I'm sort of lost."_

Kageyama frowned. "What do you mean, _sort of lost?"_ he repeated into the phone. He was heading home from school in the evening, the sun just beginning to set behind the mountains.

 _"...Okay fine, I'm lost, I'm totally lost,"_ Hinata said, sounding utterly defeated. _"What do I do?"_

Kageyama's frown deepened. "How'd you get yourself lost?" he questioned, his mind going over what to do - Hinata was lost, and if he couldn't find his way back on his own, it meant someone would have to find him.

Either way would be hard - or rather, impossible.

 _"I just wandered off in the wrong direction,"_ Hinata said. _"Um, I don't know what to do now."_

Kageyama spun on his heel and turned, away from the school and starting down the sidewalk. "Are you alone?" Kageyama asked. _How am I supposed to find a blind kid in the middle of this city?_ he thought.

 _"No, I've got Kags with me,"_ Hinata answered, and Kageyama mentally breathed a sigh of relief. At least Hinata had his service dog with him. _"I think he's trying to take me back home, but...it's weird not knowing where we're going for sure."_

Kageyama sighed heavily. As soon as he found Hinata, he was gonna kill him. "Any idea where you _could_ be?" Kageyama questioned, picking up the pace so he was now running down the sidewalk, away from Karasuno. "Any landmarks or anything?"

" _Kageyama, I'm blind."_

"I know _that,_ " Kageyama hissed. "What does the place smell like? How about the ground? Dirt or cement?"

" _Um, cement. It kinda smells like smoke and dust, though."_

Smoke and dust? _What?_ "Just how lost _are_ you, idiot?"

Hinata sighed heavily. _"I don't like this as much as you do, Kageyama, but I need your help, okay? It'd be nice if you could stop being a jerk."_

"Right, got it," said Kageyama, still hurrying down the sidewalk. "Just don't panic, 'kay?" The last thing they needed right now was for Hinata to have a panic attack, in the middle of nowhere with no one who knew where he was.

" _I won't,"_ said Hinata. _"I'm actually pretty calm right now, strangely."_

"You're a horrible liar, even over the phone."

" _I'm not lying!"_ Hinata objected, and Kageyama ignored him.

"Just stay on the phone until I find you, alright?" said Kageyama. "I'm following the sidewalk. If I see you, I'll shout."

" _Okay...Kags is taking me down the sidewalk, too, so maybe I'll bump into you or something…"_

Kageyama sighed heavily. It took skill to wander off and get lost, even while blind. If he wasn't so angry (and worried, though he wouldn't admit it), he would probably find it ridiculous.

Hinata was ridiculous, Kageyama decided.

He kept on down the sidewalk, down and down and down, until finally, he began to smell it - smoke, and dust. An odd combination, sure, but it was what Hinata had described.

"Well, I think I'm getting closer," said Kageyama over the phone. "Seriously, how far did you go? I don't think I've ever even been over here before." He glanced up, looking at the road signs. They seemed familiar, like he'd seen a picture of them somewhere before.

" _I don't know,"_ said Hinata tiredly, _"but I promise I won't do it again."_

Kageyama groaned. He kept walking a little further down the sidewalk until finally, up ahead, he spotted his target. "Found you," he said to Hinata, and then he hung up, stuffing his phone into his pocket and breaking into a jog.

Hinata was standing on the sidewalk a little ways away from him, with Kags right by his side and his phone held in his hand. He turned when he heard Kageyama's footsteps, and then grinned.

"Oh, there you are!" he said, as Kageyama stopped in front of him. "I was wondering when you'd get here."

"If you ever get lost like that again," said Kageyama, "I'll kill you."

Hinata's smile vanished. "What? Why!?" he said. "It's not _my_ fault!"

Kageyama sighed and shook his head. "Doesn't matter," he said, reaching out and grabbing Hinata's arm. "You were stupid enough to wander off on your own, so yeah, it's your fault."

Hinata objected once again, but Kageyama drowned him out, thinking, once again looking at the street sign. _This place...I know where it is…_

"I think we're near Ushijima's school," said Kageyama thoughtfully, shutting Hinata up mid-rant. Hinata glanced at him, confused.

"You mean Shiratorizawa?" Hinata asked, and then, to himself, "Wow, I really _did_ wander a long ways…all the way to Ushijima's school..."

"Did you need something from me?"

Kageyama stiffened. Hinata jumped, and then, he sighed heavily. "Let me guess," Hinata said. "It's him, isn't it."

Kageyama nodded. "Yeah."

There stood Ushijima, just a little ways down the sidewalk from them, staring at them questioningly. Kageyama didn't know how he hadn't noticed Ushijima before; how long had he been standing there, watching them? It was unnerving.

Hinata frowned. "His voice makes him sound like he's the supervillain from an anime, or something," Hinata whispered.

Kageyama reached over and cuffed him lightly on the back of the head. "This isn't the time, idiot."

Hinata growled at him, but said nothing.

"If you don't need anything from me," said Ushijima lowly, "I'll be leaving." He turned and began jogging down the crosswalk, away from Kageyama, Hinata, and Kags.

At the last second, though, Kageyama stopped him.

"We're from Karasuno," said Kageyama to Ushijima; the latter stopped and turned once again in Kageyama's direction, his expression blank. "Would you mind if we did some recon at Shiratorizawa?"

"Wait, seriously?" said Hinata. "Isn't recon something you do in secret?"

Kageyama smacked him again.

"Karasuno…" said Ushijima thoughtfully. "The team that uses that weird quick attack?" He shifted his gaze to Hinata, frown still evident. "I've heard about you," he said. "You were in an accident a few months ago, weren't you?"

Hinata frowned, and Kageyama's mind went blank for a brief moment.

 _What?_

And then, Kageyama balled his fist and grit his teeth. _And who are you to bring it up, huh?_ he thought fiercely, but said nothing.

"You still play volleyball?" Ushijima questioned Hinata.

Kageyama glanced at Hinata, and Hinata nodded firmly. "Yes," he said, "I do." There was an unspoken _And is there a problem with that?_ behind Hinata's words, and Kageyama was sure Ushijima didn't fail to notice.

Ushijima's frown only deepened, and he turned to Kageyama. "Do you let him play," said Ushijima, "because you pity him?"

Kageyama wanted to strangle this guy, but of course did no such thing. Ushijima didn't say it to be a jerk. He said it matter-of-factly, like he was genuinely curious, but for some reason, that made Kageyama angrier.

"No," Kageyama hissed, "we don't. He plays because he's a part of the team. He's essential to winning."

Ushijima looked away, back towards the sidewalk. "...If you want to watch our practice," he said, "then feel free to do so. No matter how great your abilities may be, we won't get weaker just because you watched us. Follow me, if you can keep up."

Without another word, he took off down the road.

"Come on, Hinata," Kageyama said, and he took Hinata by the wrist and dragged him along, Kags keeping up with them.

Kageyama was furious. He hated that Ushijima brought it up so carelessly, the accident and its result. He hated that Ushijima brought it up _at all_. He wasn't even from the same school. They didn't even _know_ each other. He had no right to talk about it like it didn't even matter, and he _especially_ didn't have the right to think Karasuno was only letting Hinata play out of pity.

"Why a recon?" Hinata asked, breaking Kageyama from his thoughts. "I can't even see."

"I was thinking," said Kageyama, "you could get used to the way the players sounded, like how heavy their footsteps were on the court, the sounds of the ball in the wind, that sort of stuff."

"Oh," said Hinata, "that makes sense. As far as footsteps go, I'm pretty sure I have Ushijima figured out. And his breathing is pretty distinct, too."

Kageyama blinked at Hinata for a moment or two, and then turned his focus to the sidewalk in front of them once again. He knew he should be used to Hinata's newfound ability by now, but it still unsettled him, and he couldn't quite understand how Hinata did it.

He probably never would, and he'd given up trying a long time ago.

"I didn't know you thought that way," said Hinata after another moment. "Y'know, that I was essential to the team…"

"Of course," said Kageyama. "I told you, I only toss to people who are essential to winning. Don't you remember?"

Hinata scoffed. "Yeah, I remember," said Hinata. "You made sure of _that_ \- OW! - Stop smacking me, jerk!"

They followed Ushijima all the way down the sidewalk, until they crossed under an archway leading into the school. Kageyama couldn't help it; he stopped and stared disbelieving. He'd always known Shiratorizawa was a big school, but this...this was just ridiculous.

"This place is huge," Kageyama told Hinata.

"Really? How huge?"

"Imagine something like five Karasunos smashed together."

"What the - that's _huge!"_

"Yeah."

Kageyama led Hinata down the dirt pathway, looking left and right at all the different buildings. This was completely _ridiculous_. _Nothing_ needed to be this _massive_.

Kageyama narrated what he saw for Hinata until finally they came across a building that looked much like the gym at Karasuno - except, of course, this one was at least ten times bigger.

"I guess this is their gymnazium," said Kageyama, tugging Hinata in that direction.

"I hear volleyballs," Hinata said after a moment. "Are they in a game?"

"Probably," said Kageyama, moving towards the window and looking through. He saw the members of the Shiratorizawa volleyball club, and then some older students whom he'd never seen before.

"...I think they're playing college students," said Kageyama.

"Wait, what?" said Hinata. "College students? Seriously?"

"I guess it makes sense," said Kageyama. "After all, Shiratorizawa's the top school in the prefecture. They need to bring in college teams to play against for it to even count as practice."

Yeah, _that_ was ridiculous, too. _Just how good are these guys?_ Kageyama thought, but he already knew the answer. Shiratorizawa was good, almost _too_ good, _everyone_ knew that much.

Ushijima's deep voice suddenly broke Kageyama's thoughts once again. "Took you long enough," he said, moving up the stairs leading to the gym's open doors.

Kageyama stopped him again. "I'm Kageyama," he introduced, "from Karasuno High. Would you mind if-"

"Kageyama…" Ushijima interrupted. "...From Kitagawa-Daiichi." It was a statement, not a question. Ushijima already knew perfectly well who Kageyama was, and Kageyama knew it.

But he answered nonetheless. "Yes," he said. "I applied for this school, but wasn't accepted." Behind him, Hinata took a step backwards; Kageyama reached out and snagged his wrist. "Don't you _dare_ go wandering off again," Kageyama whispered harshly.

"That's not surprising," said Ushijima to Kageyama. "I remember seeing one of your matches from junior high. We don't need a setter who can't serve the ace at this school."

Kageyama opened his mouth to retort, but Hinata beat him to it.

"Well, he's not _wrong_ ," said Hinata, sniggering. "You don't really like serving people much, do you, Kageyama?"

"Hah!?" snapped Kageyama.

"But that goes the same for the Great King, too, doesn't it?" Hinata went on. "He's the top setter in the prefecture, after all."

Kageyama growled. "Oikawa has nothing to do with this!"

"Oikawa," said Ushijima thoughtfully. "He is an efficient player. He should have come to our school."

Kageyama frowned. No matter how angry he could get at Hinata, he was pretty sure Ushijima would always make him angrier. "Are you saying that Oikawa would have been able to serve you?" he questioned.

"No matter where he is," said Ushijima, "Oikawa is a setter that can bring the absolute best out of his team. If the team's absolute best is still weak, there's nothing more to be done. If it's strong, he'll make it as strong as possible. That's his ability."

And then, Ushijima spread his hands and continued on like he was a teacher standing at the front of a classroom full of first-graders.

"A sapling must have good soil in order to grow strong," said Ushijima. "Infertile soil will not bring forth splendid fruit."

Kageyama turned and looked towards Hinata. The spiker was frowning, but there was a challenging _something_ behind his foggy eyes that was unsettling.

"Infertile soil?" Hinata questioned. "What do you mean?"

Ushijima looked at him. "Other than Oikawa," he said, "everyone else at Aoba Johsai is weak. That's what I mean."

Kageyama mentally winced. He'd been teammates with many of the players at Aoba Johsai, and he knew for a fact that Oikawa was _not_ the only strong player on that team. Oikawa may have been the strongest, but the rest of the players were strong, too.

 _Ushijima has no idea what he's getting into,_ thought Kageyama, looking towards Hinata.

"Weak…" Hinata repeated quietly.

 _Yeah, here it comes_.

"If Seijoh is weak," said Hinata, taking a step forward (Kags stayed behind, watching), "are we concrete or something?"

And Hinata stared straight into Ushijima's eyes. By complete coincidence, of course, as he couldn't see anything whatsoever, but it was still terrifying. His expression was completely blank, and that was even scarier. It would have been _less_ scary if he was glaring.

 _He's usually scared of strong players he's meeting for the first time_ , thought Kageyama. _He must be really upset by what Ushijima said…_

"I apologize if I hit a nerve," said Ushijima simply, "but words from someone who lost to Aoba Johsai and couldn't even stay in the prefectural finals mean nothing to me. And words from someone who will forever be physically unable to win another game mean even less."

Kageyama's eyes went wide - and then, they narrowed into a glare. _He's talking about Hinata's sight_ , Kageyama realized, feeling more furious than ever towards Ushijima. _I'm gonna_ kill _him-_

A stray volleyball suddenly flew from the gymnasium's open doors, hit the concrete steps, and launched into the air. Ushijima turned to look at it, and then jumped, reaching to catch it.

Almost instantly, though, Hinata was running. He ran with almost superhuman speed until he was right beside Ushijima, and then, he jumped. Just was Ushijima was about to grab the ball, Hinata snatched it from the air.

Kageyama could see the shock in Ushijima's face the instant it happened and felt satisfaction. _That's right, see that?_

Ushijima hit the ground, and then so did Hinata, skidding slightly upon landing. Kageyama smirked. The look on Ushijima's face was priceless, and Kageyama found himself wishing he had a camera - and wishing that Hinata was able to see it, too.

"I'm Hinata Shōyō," said Hinata lowly. "'The blind kid' from the concrete." He got to his feet again and moved over, pressing the volleyball into Ushijima's hands. "We're going to beat you," said Hinata firmly, "and go to Nationals."

Ushijima narrowed his eyes. Hinata moved away from him, back towards where Kageyama was standing. Kags got up and moved over, and Hinata took the dog's harness once again.

"Thank you for showing us around," said Hinata, bowing briefly. "Come on, Kageyama, let's go."

"Right," said Kageyama, nodding, but before he left, he turned and looked at Ushijima once more. "If Oikawa's the best setter in the prefecture," said Kageyama, "then I'm going to be the one to surpass him."

Ushijima's expression didn't change. Kageyama bowed, turned, and followed Hinata and Kags, off the school grounds and back towards Karasuno.

"Ack! That jerk!" Hinata scoffed once they were far away enough. "He really ticks me off, y'know!? Geez!"

Kageyama had to agree; Ushijima ticked him off, too. "It just means we're going to have to beat him," said Kageyama. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"Uh-huh!" Hinata agreed, nodding firmly, continuing down the sidewalk. "Let's go!"

Kageyama stared at him. "You're going the wrong way."

Hinata turned around and continued walking, this time in the right direction. "Let's go!" he repeated.

Kageyama clicked his tongue. "Idiot."

"Jerk!"

...

Kageyama took a deep breath in, and then narrowed his gaze, staring at the net across from him, focusing specifically on the corner of the other side of the court. He paused a second to collect his thoughts and gather all his concentration, and then, he ran, tossed the volleyball upwards, and swung his arm, hitting it perfectly.

His feet hit the ground, and the ball soared over the court. He watched. _Hit the corner, hit the corner, hit the corner-_

"I GOT IT!"

And suddenly, the ball was intercepted by Hinata, who ran across the room, jumped into position, and received the ball. It flew back over the net, hitting Kageyama's side of the court.

"Hey, Kageyama, how was that?" Hinata asked, grinning. "I got it, right?"

Kageyama grit his teeth. "I'm trying to practice, idiot," he muttered, grabbing a second ball from the cart and stepping back behind the court's out-line. Hinata was getting scary good at receives, but it still annoyed the living crap out of Kageyama when he was trying to practice his serves.

"Hey, Kageyama," said Hinata brightly, blissfully unaware of Kageyama's frustration, "can I practice with you?"

"No."

"Aw, come on! Please?"

"No."

"Why not!?"

"Go away."

Hinata glared and crossed his arms. Kageyama ignored him, closing his eyes momentarily to recollect his wits.

When he opened his eyes to serve, he realized that Hinata hadn't moved. He just _stood_ there, his arms still crossed and his glare still present, but now, he looked somewhat confused.

"Oy, idiot," Kageyama said, making Hinata jump, "get off, I'm practicing."

Hinata paused. "I can't."

"Why not?"

"I'm…" He looked away, embarrassed. "...Lost."

Kageyama sighed heavily, threw the ball back into the cart, and crossed the court. "Moron," he said pointedly, ducking beneath the net.

That was all he said, but it was enough to get Hinata frustrated. "It's not _my_ fault!" Hinata objected. "I'm just going by the wind the ball makes, that's it! I still can't _see_ anything!"

And Kageyama paused at that, one hand reaching out to grab Hinata's shoulder. He stopped entirely then, withdrawing his hand to rest on his chin, thinking.

 _The sound of the ball cutting through the air, huh? Considering how powerful my serves are, it's probably a pretty loud, obvious sound._

 _But if_ my _serves are that powerful…_

"Bakayama, I can hear you breathing, but that's it. What're you doing?"

"I just had a thought," said Kageyama, and he turned around and went right back in the direction from whence he'd come, back under the net and behind the back-line of the court.

Hinata sighed. "What're you doing _now?"_ he asked.

"I want to try something," said Kageyama, taking up the volleyball. "I'm gonna serve, and I want you to try to receive it."

"Um, okay," said Hinata. "Why the sudden change of heart?"

Kageyama didn't answer. He tossed the ball, ran, jumped, and served it to the right corner of the court - the opposite corner in which Hinata stood. Instantly, Hinata ran, dove, and hit Kageyama's serve back into the air.

Kageyama stared at him, disbelieving and awed both at once.

 _He really is incredible...I still don't know how he does it._

"You mean like that?" said Hinata, frowning. "You got mad at me for doing that a second ago, didn't you?"

"Again," said Kageyama, grabbing another ball.

Hinata cupped his hands around his mouth. "OY, BAKAYAMA! Are you listening to me!?"

Kageyama served the ball again - this time, to the front. It just barely made it over the net before it curved towards the ground.

"AGH! Darn it, Kageyama!" Hinata growled, launching himself towards the net; he hit the ball once again. It was off like crazy, but he still managed to get the ball in the air, and considering the fact he was blind (and a horrible receiver usually), this was an impressive feat.

"Seriously!?" Hinata yelled, as the ball hit the court behind him. "You're just _trying_ to hit something I can't receive, aren't you!?"

"Yes," said Kageyama, grabbing another ball. Hinata stared at him, shocked. "I'll explain in a minute," said Kageyama. "Last ball, alright?"

Hinata nodded, for once not arguing, and he got into position. Kageyama tossed and served, and Hinata paused, listening, before turning and racing, following the sounds of the ball.

But all of a sudden, he stopped.

"Hang on a second…" Hinata said, and then, "IT'S OUT, ISN'T IT!?"

Kageyama's serve hit the ground, just behind the white out-line. "Yes," said Kageyama, "it was out."

Hinata blinked. "I have the feeling you did that on purpose."

"Yes," said Kageyama, "I did." He paused, turning over this new information in his head. Ever since that one day at practice when Hinata first received blindly, he'd always known Hinata could pull off some otherwise impossible receives.

But he really hadn't thought much about what this meant for the team until now.

"Hinata," said Kageyama, "do you think you can receive serves like that, but in a game?"

Hinata frowned. "I mean, um, sure, probably," he said. "It's really not that much different from practice, is it?"

Kageyama nodded. "Alright," he said. "When I serve, can you hear it more clearly? More clearly than you can during a normal spike or serve."

"Now that you mention it, yeah, I can," said Hinata. "It's a lot louder. The wind, I mean. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Kageyama lied.

 _I wonder…_

 _...If the power behind the serves makes it easier for Hinata to hear the ball, then maybe..._

…

"You wanted to talk to me?" Daichi said to Kageyama. It was after practice, and the rest of the team had already left, with Nishinoya and Tanaka accompanying Hinata home. Kageyama had asked if Daichi was available to talk after practice, and Daichi had agreed, telling the rest of the team to go on home to give him and Kageyama some privacy.

Kageyama nodded. "I apologize for the short notice."

Daichi waved a hand. "No worries. What's up?"

"It's about Hinata," said Kageyama, "and the freak receives he's been pulling off lately."

Daichi nodded. "Well, they're definitely 'freak' alright," he agreed. "I still don't fully understand just how he manages it."

 _Well, you're not alone there,_ thought Kageyama.

"Go on?" offered Daichi.

"Well," said Kageyama, "I've been thinking this for a while now, but I wanted to ask you before we brought it to the coach, since you're a more knowledgeable receiver, and our captain."

Daichi nodded.

"What would you say," said Kageyama, "to putting Hinata on the back line to receive Oikawa's serves in the upcoming tournament?"

Daichi frowned - not angrily, but thoughtfully. "Putting Hinata on the back line to receive Oikawa's serves?" he repeated.

"Yes," Kageyama said, nodding.

Daichi thought for another moment - and then, he snapped his fingers. "Oh, of course!" he said, realizing. "The stronger the ball is hit, the more wind it creates, which means it'll be louder."

"Which means Hinata will be able to hear it, and hit it," said Kageyama. "With his speed and reflexes, it should be easy."

"Right," said Daichi, nodding in agreement. "For other teams, stronger serves are a real hazard, but for us, if we put Hinata on the back line…"

Kageyama grinned villainously. "We'll have an advantage," he said.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So here's the next installment! Hope you guys enjoyed! And for the record, I really do like Ushijima, so don't think I was trying to make him an unlikeable character or anything. Most of this was from Kageyama's POV, and Kageyama's been on edge for 90% of this fic, so he doesn't always think very good thoughts about people. :/**

 **And now, shout-outs, beginning with the favoriters/followers and going down to the reviewers! :D Here's to 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann,** **Bibi2002,** **BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina,** **horsegrl2000,** **InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo,** **Sebastian Michaeles,** **Saphirabrightscale,** **Slam'in Burst,** **TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, MooseTalk, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300,** **XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX,** **and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And to the reviewers:**

 **MysteryElv: Awesome! That's actually quite the compliment, thanks! :D**

 **LostSilva: Hahahaha, thanks! I had a whole lot of fun writing it, too! :D**

 **ItsHoodButItsGood: Wow that's a really long YAS. XD I'm glad you liked it so much! Thanks for the review! :D**

 **eBlue11: Yay! *thumbs up* :D**

 **Iris Patton: Yeah I'm not a big fan of horror movies, either, which is funny considering I wrote the last chapter. XD I'm one of those people who's really intrigued by horror and whatnot but I just can't stand to watch it because it scares the living daylights out of me. XD Thanks for the review! And yeah, if you have any other ideas, feel free to give them to me whenever! The more the merrier! :D**

 **RandomFujoshi: Aw, thank you! I'm really excited to read your story! :D And I'm very flattered by your compliments. ;) Thank you for the review! :D**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Hahaha, yep. XD I like doing lighthearted stuff sometimes, especially when the rest of the story is total heartbreak. Thanks for the review! I'm glad you're still reading/enjoying this story! :D**

 **ColorQuill: Hahahahaha! I had so much fun with the interactions. I love dialogue. :D Wow...that's...really scary, actually. Talk about coincidence! XD Or...or maybe I am psychic...whoops. XD And that's fine! No problem! I'm pretty forgetful, so it's no problem. :D WITH SUNGLASSES OH MY GOSH. XD That'd be so awesome if you drew a comic! I'm sure I'd die laughing. I don't know why, but even before writing this fic I've always loved the idea of a "Hinata Protection Squad." XD Haha, well, if you catch up to RttE any time soon, I'll probably be seeing you in my other fics, too, huh? :) Well, hopefully I'll see you again soon! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **Guest: I know, I love Haikyuu! SO MUCH it's such a beautiful show. I could literally rant about it for hours. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **KisunaFuji: Thanks! I'm glad you like it! :D**

 **And that's all! I'll see you guys in the next chapter! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	12. OMAKE - Don't Be Afraid

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****SPECIFIC CHAPTER NOTE: This chapter is set just A LITTLE WHILE AFTER the events of chapter 4, "The Fall." Please keep this in mind as you proceed.*****

 **...**

Sugawara had never been a heavy sleeper.

It was a curse, really.

If there was a lot of traffic outside his house, he couldn't sleep; if people were talking around him, he couldn't sleep. During storms, he'd lie awake, trying futilely to sleep before finally throwing in the towel and studying until the storm blew over—and if the storm _didn't_ blow over, he'd just study until the next morning.

There was a storm right now, and it was keeping him awake. He really needed to get some earplugs. It would save him a lot of sleepless nights.

In hindsight, though, maybe it had been a good thing he'd been unable to sleep that night—otherwise, he wouldn't have heard the small, tentative knocks outside his door.

He got up from his desk after he first heard the knocks, paused a moment, then moved downstairs to investigate. The storm was noisy, a mixture of rain like machine gun bullets and lightning and thunder that shook the sky, so it was really a miracle that he'd been able to hear the knocks in the first place.

He was home alone; his folks were out on business and not supposed to return until early morning, so he really hoped this wasn't a burglar, though he already seriously doubted it. After all, burglars didn't really _knock,_ did they?

He crossed the living room over to the door, grabbed and turned the knob, and swung it open.

Instantly, his eyes widened in shock.

"What the— _Hinata!?"_

And Hinata smiled faintly (fakely), dripping wet from head to toe, holding onto his service dog's harness with a pale, white-knuckled hand. "S-Sorry for the intrusion," Hinata said quietly.

"You—how— _what_ —" Sugawara took a breath, calming himself. "Come inside, now," Sugawara said, taking Hinata by his free hand and quickly pulling him through the doorway, shutting the door as soon as possible to keep out the cold, stormy wind.

"Stay here," Sugawara told Hinata, "I'll be back." Hinata nodded shakily, and Sugawara sprinted off.

 _What is he doing here?_ Sugawara thought, as he headed to the closet and pulled one – two – three spare blankets off the shelf. Sugawara couldn't understand it. It didn't matter what scenarios he ran through his head; none of them added up.

Hinata had been over to his house before, of course, but back then he'd been accompanied by Kageyama for a planned visit, in the daytime, when the weather was pleasant.

But _this_ was the exact _opposite_ of that previous visit. Hinata was alone (other than Kags, who Sugawara was sure had led Hinata here by memory, but the dog didn't count), it was stormy, it was _dark_ , it was in _the middle of the night_ , and completely, one-hundred-percent unexpected.

However, despite everything rushing through his head, Sugawara didn't ask any questions (not yet, anyways). Right now, he was more focused on making sure Hinata didn't get hypothermia or something from walking in the cold rain.

They didn't even _live close_ , _why on earth was Hinata here?_

When Sugawara made it back over to Hinata, the younger had already pulled his sopping wet shoes off and left them at the door; Kags was sitting by his side, waiting.

"Here," Sugawara said, taking one blanket and throwing it around his teammate. "The last thing I want is you getting sick."

Hinata blinked at him—those blind, clouded eyes, and Sugawara bit his lip, concerned. Hinata had always been a very transparent person. Even from a distance, one could tell what mood he was in, what he was thinking, or what he was feeling.

But for the first time in his life, looking into Hinata's eyes, Sugawara couldn't tell what what was going through his head.

"C'mere," Sugawara said, taking Hinata by the wrist and pulling him out of the entrance, into the living room. Hinata rolled with it, and his service dog rolled with both of them. Sugawara led Hinata to the couch and had him sit down; then, he turned and headed into the kitchen.

Something was bothering Hinata. That was really the only thing Sugawara had gathered thus far.

"I have hot chocolate. Do you want any?" Sugawara asked over his shoulder, and he saw Hinata nod shakily. Sugawara then set about bringing water to a boil over the stove and preparing two mugs.

"With or without marshmallows?" he asked.

"With."

"Alright."

Well, at least Hinata was talking to him now. Sugawara poured the hot water into the mugs and stirred in the contents of the hot cocoa packets until they dissolved. Then, he turned and crossed the kitchen to the cabinet on the other side of the room.

"Are you mad at me?"

Sugawara stopped mid-step, looking back at the couch. Hinata wasn't looking at him, his gaze turned towards the ground – almost in shame.

"...No," Sugawara said, and he moved, grabbing the marshmallows from the cabinet and adding some to the cocoa. "I'm not mad at you. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little frustrated."

Hinata swallowed. "Sor—"

"No apologizing," Sugawara said firmly. "That's all you've been doing lately. I'm not frustrated with you, I just wish you would've called me ahead of time. I would've been able to meet you at your place so you didn't have to walk by yourself."

Sugawara didn't like this one bit. He was fine with Hinata coming over, really, he was, that wasn't the problem. The problem was how _defeated_ Hinata looked and acted. In the past, Sugawara had compared Hinata to a spring. It didn't matter what happened; he'd bounce back, just like that, and try even harder the next time.

But recently...he hadn't been like that at all. He'd been closed off, pushing himself away from his friends in isolation. Sugawara hadn't thought much of it at first; after all, different people coped with circumstances in different ways.

But Sugawara decided now that it was doing more harm than good. It was _hurting_ Hinata, and although the spiker never admitted it to anyone, that didn't mean his teammates didn't notice, because the did. They _all_ did.

 _It makes sense,_ thought Sugawara, as he grabbed the mugs and stepped towards the couch, _that Hinata's behaving differently._

 _After all..._

 _...His entire life has changed._

Honestly, when Sugawara first heard the doctor's verdict in that dull, lifeless hospital waiting room, he'd been unable to comprehend the situation. Whatsoever. It didn't matter what he did, he just _could not_ convince himself of the truth.

His mind knew it, but his heart refused to accept it.

 _Hinata is blind_.

 _No he's not, he can't be. He's not._

 _Hinata is blind_.

 _No he's not._

 _He's blind._

 _He's not_.

And then came the hospital visits, nearly every day from the time the accident first happened up until Hinata was discharged. On Sugawara's first visit in which Hinata was conscious, he finally was able to take in the truth.

Hinata was blind. Nothing would change that.

And sometimes Sugawara felt responsible. Excluding Daichi and Asahi, Sugawara was the oldest member of the volleyball team. He was a senpai to the first years and second years alike. He should've been watching out for them. He should've noticed the car.

Heck, _Hinata_ noticed it and reacted quickly enough to pull Kageyama from danger, and Hinata never noticed _anything_ , so how could Sugawara have _missed it?_ He didn't even know anything was _happening_ until it was too late.

So he blamed himself. He understood where Kageyama was coming from, when the younger setter refused to visit Hinata in the hospital. Sugawara was just better at hiding it, that's all.

"Here you go," said Sugawara, breaking away from his thoughts, setting one mug on the coffee table and pressing the other one into Hinata's cold hands. "It's hot, so be careful, 'kay?"

Hinata nodded. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me, it's no trouble," said Sugawara, smiling softly. Then, he frowned. "You still look freezing," he said, sitting on the couch beside his kohai.

"I'm okay," Hinata said. "Better now."

Sugawara didn't believe him, but said nothing. "Alright," he said. "But I am wondering...why come all the way here at this time of night? Not to mention in this kind of _weather."_

"I…" Hinata looked away again. "I...I just...wanted someone to talk to. Who wasn't my family or Kageyama."

"Why not Kageyama?"

Hinata didn't answer for the longest time. "...Because I scare him sometimes," he said quietly. "Just, with...with everything that's been happening lately. He doesn't say it, but I know he's scared."

Sugawara didn't argue. He knew as well as anyone that Hinata and Kageyama could practically read each other's thoughts. It was scary sometimes, but true nonetheless.

"And because he blames himself for everything that happened," said Hinata. "He told me he'd stopped blaming himself, but he was lying, I know it. I don't want him to think this is his fault anymore."

Sugawara nodded. That made sense. "Did you tell anyone where you were going?"

Hinata shook his head.

Sugawara paled at the realization. "You should've told someone," he said. "Your mom, your sister, _somebody…_ " All Sugawara could think of was Hinata taking a wrong turn and getting lost, and nobody knowing where he was—or maybe a criminal would find him—or maybe he'd walk into the road without realizing it, or maybe...well, the list of made-up scenarios never ended.

"I know, but…" Hinata paused, biting his lip. "...They would've tried to come with me, or told me not to," Hinata said. "My family's been so worried about me lately, I just...I didn't want…I don't..."

"You don't want them to worry anymore," Sugawara finished, and Hinata nodded silently. "I understand that," said Sugawara. "You don't like depending on others, but sometimes you have to. They love you. _We_ love you. That's why we worry."

"I know," Hinata said. "I _know_ , but...but still, I just…" His voice trailed off, and he didn't say anything else.

Sugawara nodded. "You don't have to explain yourself," he said, "I understand. But next time, let somebody know where you're going, alright? Please. For your own safety."

Sugawara's heart was bound to give out if Hinata ever walked the streets alone in the middle of the night without anyone knowing where he was.

Hinata nodded, just barely. "Okay," said Hinata. "I will."

They waited in silence for a little longer, sipping their hot beverages. Kags laid on a blanket on the floor at Hinata's feet, sleeping; he must have known Hinata would be safe with Sugawara, or else he wouldn't have let his guard down. Sugawara was honestly honored by this; he was glad the service animal was so loyal to his master. It put Sugawara at ease.

However, there was something else nagging in the back of Sugawara's mind, and at long last, he could take it no longer.

"So, Hinata…" Sugawara set down his mug and turned to face the spiker. "You said you wanted someone to talk to, right? What do you want to talk about?"

By the look of shock that momentarily crossed Hinata's face, he hadn't been expecting this question one bit.

"Oh, um…right," Hinata blinked a couple of times at the floor he couldn't see, and then reached over, setting his mug down on the coffee table. "I wasn't going to come here originally," he said. "I was going to just keep it to myself, but...but then I thought about what Kageyama told me, about how you guys feel when I hide things from you, and...I thought I should tell someone."

Sugawara swallowed, already fearing this conversation though he didn't know where it was going. "I'm listening."

"I...I think…" Hinata's voice cracked. "I think...I think I'm starting to forget."

Sugawara blinked, somewhat confused. He reached over, laying a hand on Hinata's shoulder gently as not to startle him. "Forget what, Hinata?" he inquired softly.

Hinata swallowed thickly, balling his fists against his knees. "Forget...you guys," Hinata said quietly, his voice strained. "Like, what you look like, I mean. I can't...I can't picture anyone very clearly anymore."

Sugawara's heart wound itself in knots. _Oh_.

"And...a-and I'm scared," Hinata said, and his voice cracked worse than ever, and tears began streaming down his pale face. Sugawara felt him shaking from the hand still on his shoulder. "I'm _scared,_ Sugawara _._ I don't want to forget you, or Nishinoya, or Tanaka, or Daichi, or Kageyama, or Asahi, or _anyone_. I don't want to forget. I c-can't…" Hinata buried his face in his hands, muffling his voice and his sobs. "I can't forget. I just _can't_. I can't, I can't, I c-can't, I-I c-can't, _I-I c-c-can't—"_

Sugawara leaned over and captured Hinata in a tight embrace, unable to take it any longer, and Hinata clung to him desperately like he was the only real thing in the world, crying hard. Sugawara's own eyes stung, but he refused to let any tears fall. This wasn't about him; it was about Hinata.

Sugawara couldn't find the words to say. He couldn't find anything worth saying, anything that wouldn't feel like stupid, hollow, worthless, pointless words. There wasn't anything _to_ say.

After all, Sugawara didn't know what it was like...to be _blind_.

"What if I forget?" Hinata sobbed, breaking Sugawara from his thoughts. Hinata was trembling so hard it was almost ridiculous, and Kags, now wide-awake, let out a low, worried whine. "I-I feel like I just met you all. I f-finally have a real t-team, and...a-and...I c-can't forget, Sugawara. I _c-can't_."

And Sugawara found himself at a complete loss. A complete, utter loss. There was absolutely _nothing_ he could do, and he hated it. He hated the fact that he couldn't help Hinata when he was scared. He hated the fact that there was literally _nothing he could do_ about Hinata's sight.

So he did the only thing he knew how to do.

He hugged Hinata tighter and didn't let go. He didn't, and he wouldn't, not now and not ever.

"It's okay," Sugawara said, feeling stupid, but he'd feel even stupider if he kept silent through all of this, so he kept going. "It's okay, Hinata. We're here. We're still here, and we're not going anywhere. Even if you forget...we're never leaving. We'll always be right here."

It wasn't much, but it was a sound promise Sugawara could make knowing without even the slightest bit of doubt he and the rest of the team could keep. _Would_ keep.

Hinata fell silent for a moment, and then, he dissolved into sobs once again, but this time he was murmuring "thank you" under his breath, just loud enough (and coherent enough) for Sugawara to hear.

"...You don't have to thank me," Sugawara said, trying to keep his own voice from shaking. "Please, don't thank me. It's okay."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Hinata gasped. "I-I'm sorry, f-for...f-for s-showing up s-so late—"

"It's okay. Don't apologize, I told you it's okay."

"I-I f-feel like...l-like I'm...I-I'm s-such a b-burden."

"Never. _Never_. You're not a burden, I promise. We all love you, more than you realize. We want to help you."

Hinata didn't answer this time; just clung to Sugawara even tighter and let his tears fall. Sugawara returned the gesture, squeezing his kohai tight.

"And...Hinata…"

Hinata didn't reply verbally, but Sugawara felt his nod against his chest.

"...Don't ever call yourself a burden again. And I mean _ever_. Alright?"

Hinata fell silent again for just a brief second, and then, he nodded, this time much more fervently and feverishly. Sugawara didn't say anything else after that, and neither did Hinata. Nothing more had to be said.

Sugawara lost track of just how long he and his kohai sat unmoving on the couch, Hinata still wrapped in blankets (which were now damp thanks to his sopping clothes) and the service animal still laying on the floor. It didn't matter how long they were there, either. Whether it was minutes or hours, it didn't matter.

All that mattered right now was Hinata.

It took a long time—longer than Sugawara would have liked—but finally, Hinata stopped shuddering, and his tears ceased. The house was completely silent now, and it took Sugawara a moment before he realized that the storm raging outside had ceased, too.

And after that, it took yet another moment for him to realize Hinata had fallen asleep.

Sugawara smiled softly—and dolefully—and then, he carefully untangled Hinata's arms from around his waist and laid the younger down on the couch, covering him with another blanket afterwards. Hinata didn't even stir.

The spiker was exhausted; this was something Sugawara could tell from the instant Hinata walked into his house. Going through all of this was taking its toll, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sometimes, Sugawara didn't know how Hinata found the strength to keep going.

Maybe he was a lot stronger than they took him for. Or maybe he was just stubborn. Either way, Sugawara admired it.

He turned up the house's heater a couple notches and left briefly to find an old t-shirt Hinata could wear. He didn't want to, but he knew he'd eventually have to wake Hinata up and have him change out of his wet clothes, or he really _would_ end up getting sick.

Just as Sugawara was returning from his room, his phone suddenly rang, making him jump. He'd quite forgotten that he'd kept his phone on him since earlier that evening.

He pulled his phone from his pocket and stared down at the caller ID displayed on the phone's outer screen.

 _Incoming Call: Kageyama Tobio_

Sugawara frowned, glanced over at the couch to make sure Hinata hadn't woken up (he hadn't), and then, he flipped his phone open and accepted the call.

"Kageyama?"

" _SUGAWARA!"_

Sugawara yanked the phone away from his ear as fast as physically possible, and all the way over at the couch, Kags perked up, looking around wildly. Hinata still didn't stir.

" _LISTEN, I'M SORRY FOR CALLING SO LATE, BUT HINATA'S NOT ANSWERING HIS PHONE! I MEAN, I KNOW IT'S LATE, BUT HE ALWAYS ANSWERS WHEN I CALL HIM, AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET A HOLD OF HIM FOR AN HOUR NOW! I DON'T KNOW WHERE HE IS!"_

Kageyama said it all in one breath, shouting all the while, and honestly, this impressed Sugawara more than he wanted to admit.

"Kageyama, calm down," Sugawara said gently. "It's alright, Hinata's fine. He's with me."

Sugawara realized now that Hinata must've left his phone at his house. The realization that Hinata didn't even think to bring any form of _communication_ with him terrified Sugawara. He'd always been protective of his teammates—moreover, his friends—but as of recent, he'd been especially protective of Hinata.

He heard Kageyama let out a long, shuddering sigh. _"H-H-Holy crap...that scared me for a second...erm, sorry for freaking out, Sugawara…"_

Sugawara shook his head. "No, it's alright," he said. "I'm sure I'd be pretty worried, too."

" _Yeah...right…"_

There was something in Kageyama voice—exhaustion?—that Sugawara didn't fail to miss.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

There was a long beat of silence before Kageyama answered. _"Do you really think any of us are 'alright' right now?"_ There was a bitter edge to his voice now, not that it really mattered.

"That's not what I'm asking," said Sugawara. "I'm asking if _you're_ okay. If you're taking care of yourself."

Silence.

And then...

" _...I've been on edge. A lot. I'm...frustrated. Really, really, frustrated."_

"I know," _I'm living it, too_ , "but—"

" _I can't do anything. I can't even_ help _the idiot. I don't know_ how _. I'm useless."_

Kageyama had never opened up to Sugawara like this before, so for the longest while, Sugawara didn't know how to respond.

"You're not useless," Sugawara said at long last. "Nothing you've done or been doing is useless. I think...I think morale support is really what Hinata needs right now. Friends, I mean. So nothing you're doing is pointless, alright? You're doing everything you can, I know you are, so don't worry."

" _I_ know _, I just...wish there was more I could do."_

"We all do, but sometimes...sometimes there isn't more you can do."

" _...Right. You're right."_

Sugawara nodded. "I've got Hinata," he said, "so you don't have to worry about him anymore. Take some time to yourself, alright?"

" _But—"_

"Take a shower. Eat something. Go to sleep."

" _But—"_

"Nothing you say is going to change anything, Kageyama."

Kageyama didn't respond for a few seconds; he was probably trying to think of some sort of "smashing" reply.

But apparently, nothing came to mind, because a few seconds later, Kageyama resigned and sighed, _"Alright. I'll try sleeping."_

"Good. Take care of yourself, alright? Don't forget, your health matters, too."

" _...Alright. Thanks."_

 _Click_.

And Sugawara closed his phone and set it on the coffee table in case he needed it later.

…

As it turned out, Sugawara _did_ need his phone more sooner than later; he phoned Daichi, who Sugawara knew stayed up to ungodly hours, and asked him for Mrs. Hinata's number (which he was aware Daichi had) and then, Sugawara called Hinata's mother. At first, the woman was frantic—specifically when Sugawara mentioned the fact that Hinata had been completely alone other than Kags—but Sugawara was quick to remind her that yes, Hinata was safe, and yes, he would be fine until morning.

 _"Are you sure you don't want me to come pick him up?"_ Mrs. Hinata had asked him, motherly concern seeping into her tone.

"I'm sure," Sugawara had replied. "He's sleeping at the moment. Don't worry, I'll look after him."

Mrs. Hinata thanked him more than once for his kindness, apologized for the trouble (even though Sugawara told her it was unnecessary) and then hung up. Sugawara then took care of everything else; he got Hinata to wake up long enough to change out of his wet clothes and into some of Sugawara's old ones, and then, when Hinata went back to sleep, Sugawara dried Kags' wet fur with a couple of old towels. As soon as he was finished, Kags leapt onto the couch and curled up beside Hinata, and almost instinctively, Hinata shifted, rolling over onto his side and hugging the service animal tightly.

Sugawara smiled at the scene, left a small bowl of water on the floor for the dog, and headed upstairs to grab his homework. He didn't want to leave Hinata downstairs by himself for very long, so he resolved to grab his books and study until his parents came home.

He wasn't tired, and even if he _was,_ Sugawara knew he wouldn't be able to fall asleep. There were too many loud, persistent thoughts running through his head, and they were just as loud (if not louder) than the storm from earlier.

After all, Sugawara had never been a heavy sleeper.

But maybe it wasn't a curse after all.

Actually, if being a light sleeper meant being available to help his precious kohai when he needed him, then it was a blessing.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Sugawara is the Team Mom and no one can convince me otherwise.**

 **Speaking of moms, am I the only person who imagines Hinata's mother being like Molly Weasley from Harry Potter? I mean seriously, I can't be the only person...right?**

 **This was originally going to be "training camp" chapter but writing that's taking more thought than I originally thought it would, so that's gonna have to be the next chapter, unfortunately. But here's a simple lay-out of what I have planned, so you know what to look for:**

 **Chapter 13, The Strengthening (Training Camp)  
** **Chapter 14, The Breakthrough (Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai)  
** **Chapter 15, OMAKE, A Group of Crows is Called A Murder (Hinata Protection Squad Part 2)  
** **Chapter 16, OMAKE, The Senpais and their Kohai (focusing on Tanaka and Nishinoya)**

 **So that's what I'm planning. Again, if you guys have any other ideas, let me know. :) The more the merrier (and the more ideas I have the longer this fic will be in the end sooo...yeah if that's motivation at all. :P)**

 **And now, shout-outs, beginning with the favoriters/followers and going down to the reviewers! :D Here's to 3elizabeth, 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Aurora M Borialice, BlueMoonChaos, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, angiecrevansalamero, AnimeXD801, Bibi2002, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, Caleo Ignacium, CareBear0309, Dark Papercut, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, Hikari1994, horsegrl2000, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, ImpsDream, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Sebastian Michaeles, Saphirabrightscale, Slam'in Burst, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, TimeTurner394, tista93, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, meroku, MooseTalk, 3, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, nanigirl15, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, kaizyfordemwalt, XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX, ViolentOtaku, and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And here's to the reviewers:**

 **Zunifex: Aww thank you! :)**

 **Sadie: Here's your update! :D**

 **happycookie2300: YEAH! GO HINATA! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: Indeed. *sips tea* I am looking forward to the match. :D**

 **Cardfighter By Maple: I knnnoooow! I love Hinata so much! He tries so hard! :)**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: OH MY GOSH THAT IS HILARIOUS I WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO UNSEE THAT NOW OH MY GGGOOOOOSSSSHHHHH.**

 **Guest: I KNOW, RIGHT!? I'M SO PROUD OF HINATA! :D**

 **Dutchess Frost: Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to leave a review! :D I had SO MUCH FUN with that movie chapter; I'm so happy so many other people enjoyed it! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **RandomFujoshi: Awwww, that's quite the compliment there! I'm honored to hear you like my story that much! :D Thanks for the review! I'm looking forward to the Spring Tournament, too! :D**

 **Iris Patton: HAHAHAHAHAHA! Wow. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **And that's it! Thank you all for your continued support! If I missed anyone in the shout-outs, please,** _ **please**_ **let me know! I don't want anyone to be left out! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	13. OMAKE - Fighter

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****SPECIFIC CHAPTER NOTE: We're returning to our regular programing now. This is set during the proper time-line of the story, so after chapter 12, "The Challenger."*****

…

Sometimes, Hinata had bad days.

It'd been a long while since the accident - months, that is - and he was finally learning to adjust to his new handicap. He was playing with the team again, attending (and failing) his classes, just like always. It was minimal, but Kageyama noticed the spiker was smiling more often, too, like he used to back in the "good old days."

Of course, Hinata would never truly be "back to his old self," and no one blamed him; moreover, no one _could_. But he was moving on, and he was brave, and Kageyama respected him more than ever before.

But sometimes, Hinata still had bad days.

They came in random spurts without warning. One day, he'd be smiling and cheerful and cracking jokes with Nishinoya and Tanaka, and then the next day, he'd have this sad look on his face and walk with his head down, only speaking when spoken to and using as few words as possible.

This was one of those bad days, and Hinata's bad days were usually the most obvious during volleyball practice after school. The rest of the team could tell, just by his performance, just how bad of a day he was having.

And if practice earlier that day had been any indication, then Hinata was having a really, really bad day.

Hinata had barely hit any of Kageyama's tosses, and Kageyama was sure the entire team could tell Hinata was losing enthusiasm the longer the practice went on. Daichi had called it quits early (to the rest of the team's relief), and the most worrisome part about this was that Hinata hadn't seemed bummed out at all.

Kageyama headed down the hall towards the club room to drop off his bag, keeping his head lowered to the ground (he found his shoes suddenly very interesting, as he often did when Hinata was hurting and he didn't know what to do). Kageyama noticed, before he was even close, that the lights were still on.

He didn't think much of it. Tanaka was as forgetful as he was loud, so it wasn't a surprise. Everyone else had already head home, Hinata included, so Kageyama decided he'd just shut them off on his way out.

He turned the knob and stepped into the club room.

...Apparently, it wasn't as empty as he thought.

Hinata was sitting with his back to the wall of the club room, his knees drawn against his chest, his arms wrapped around his legs, and his head bowed against them, so Kageyama couldn't see his face. Kags laid nearby on a dog bed the team had set up for him, sleeping.

Kageyama blinked, confused. _What? I thought he went home. Why's he still here?_

"Hinata...what are you still doing here? I thought Nishinoya was walking you home."

Hinata didn't move, even slightly. If he was surprised at all by Kageyama's sudden appearance and subsequent question, he didn't show it. "I told him Sugawara was going to, and that he didn't need to," said Hinata quietly, just barely loud enough for Kageyama to hear.

Kageyama frowned. "Really."

There was a very pregnant pause.

"...Sugawara isn't walking you home, is he?" It was a statement, not a question.

Hinata stiffened, but that movement alone was enough to confirm Kageyama's suspicions. Kageyama grit his teeth, biting back the urge to shout.

"You can't do that, idiot," Kageyama snapped, stepping into the room and pulling the door shut behind him. "You can't _lie_ to them."

"I _know_ I can't," Hinata said shakily, squeezing his legs tighter, and Kageyama was startled by just how _broken_ Hinata's voice was. "I don't mean to, I don't _want_ to. I _hate_ it. But...I wanted...to be alone. For a while."

Kageyama looked at him, frowning. Try as he might, he couldn't stay angry with Hinata for long when he was like this. "You couldn't have just told them you wanted to be alone?" he questioned.

"And how do you think that would've gone?" Hinata questioned, still quietly, but this time, there was definitely an edge to his tone; he was irritated. Frustrated. Whether it was with himself or Kageyama was anyone's guess. "They would just think something was wrong and spy on me anyway."

"'Spy' is a harsh word."

"But you're not denying it."

Kageyama sighed. This was going nowhere, and it wouldn't for as long as they stayed on the subject. So Kageyama ditched it. "Anyways, about your wanting to be 'alone,'" said Kageyama, "do you mind-"

"I don't care if you're here," Hinata interrupted. "I don't really want to be 'alone', I guess. Just...away from the commotion. Alone _enough_ but not completely alone."

Kageyama blinked. That...sort of made sense, when he thought about it hard enough. "Alright," he said, sliding his bag off his shoulder and onto the floor. He then sank to the ground beside Hinata, taking up nearly the same position as the spiker. The only difference was that Kageyama's head wasn't touching his knees.

Another pause.

"...Practice was hard," said Hinata quietly.

"It's supposed to be hard," said Kageyama, but he knew what Hinata really meant. "It's practice. If it wasn't hard we wouldn't learn from it."

"I-I know," said Hinata. "But...it's...it's different now. It's really, _really_ hard, and it...it...it's _frustrating._ Practice has never been this _frustrating_ before, _ever."_

Kageyama swallowed thickly, leaning his chin on his knees. "Yeah...I guess not," said Kageyama.

Hinata raised his head, just enough for Kageyama to see his face, though he didn't turn in Kageyama's direction. His eyes, though still cloudy and fogged as ever, were rimmed red and watery. "...It's kinda funny, actually," Hinata said lowly. "The things people take for granted. Like _sight_ , for instance. It's just...not something you think about, y'know? As long as it _works_ , that's all that matters. You're not actually _thankful_ for it until...until you _can't_ be thankful for it."

Kageyama didn't say anything. He didn't actually know how to respond to that. He'd never been good with words, and besides...sometimes the less words spoken, the better. Sometimes silence wasn't a bad thing.

"I don't get it," Hinata said, with a small smile, but there was absolutely no joy or happiness behind it. "I'm really _not_ cut out for volleyball, am I? First the whole 'short' thing, and now _this_...who knows, maybe I'll lose my dominant arm next."

Kageyama blanched. "Idiot, don't say stuff like that."

"...You're right, I'm sorry," Hinata said quietly. "But...still. The entire world's been against me from the very beginning, huh? It feels so wrong. I don't _get it_."

Hinata lowered his head against his knees again suddenly, squeezing his legs impossibly tight. His shoulders shook. "T-This sucks," Hinata said, breathing in sharply, his voice shaking and cracking.

Kageyama paused and swallowed thickly. "...Yeah."

"This _r-really sucks_."

"It does. You're right." Kageyama reached over hesitantly, settling his hand on Hinata's head. Kageyama hated this world. He _hated_ it. It was twisted, cruel, totally _unfair._ Why. _Why_. Why Hinata of all people? Why'd it have to happen _at all_ , to _anyone?_

Hinata sniffed. Didn't look up. "K-Kageyama, am...am I…" He shuddered. "...Am I a c-coward?"

"No." Kageyama didn't even have to think about it.

Hinata uttered a bitter sound somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "I feel like I am sometimes."

"You're not," Kageyama said firmly. "Believe me. A coward would've give up by now. You're definitely no coward. You haven't given up, even once."

"I...I've felt like it," Hinata said tearfully. "But...it...it _scares_ me. The...the thought of giving up, it...it _terrifies_ me. I'm _terrified_. Doesn't...doesn't that make me a coward?"

"No," said Kageyama.

"B-But I'm scared."

"Being scared isn't the same as being a coward," said Kageyama. "If things were never scary, stuff like bravery and courage would never exist. Cowards give up when it's scary. You're not a coward. You aren't giving up."

Hinata sniffed again. "You're right," he said slowly, his voice shaking. "I-I won't give up. I d-don't _want_ to give up. I'm…" The more he spoke, the more broken his speech sounded, and he choked out sobs between words. "I'm g-going to fight with this body, a-and...a-and...and never g-give up. I-I meant what I s-said. I-I don't _want_ to...t-to…" He stopped, letting out a couple of harsh, heart-wrenching sobs. "D-d-darn it, I _hate this_ , K-Kageyama...it's...it's so _h-h-hard…_ "

Kageyama moved his hand from Hinata's head and instead wrapped his arm around the spiker's shoulders. Hinata tensed up briefly, falling silent, and then went right back to sobbing an instant later.

"...I know," Kageyama said, feeling so stupid and useless and _lame_ , all at once. And then he felt like a liar. No, he _didn't_ know what this was like. He _didn't_ know what Hinata was going through. He _couldn't ever possibly_ know what Hinata was going through.

But he didn't know what else to say. He didn't. He _couldn't_.

"...I'm not going to tell you I know how you feel, because I don't," said Kageyama, "but...just remember you aren't fighting this alone. We're here for you. Always. As a team, and...as your friends."

Hinata fell silent for a moment. And then, he raised his head, glancing in Kageyama's general direction. "Y-You know something, K-Kageyama?" Hinata asked.

"Yeah, what?"

"I'm…" The tears were still there, and his eyes were still red, but Hinata suddenly smiled. Truly and wholly smiled. An honest smile, one from his heart, despite the tears still rolling down his face.

"I'm really glad I met you, Kageyama."

And Kageyama's train of thought derailed. He stared, wide-eyed and shocked at Hinata, before he finally managed to speak.

"...S-Shut up, stupid!" Kageyama stuttered, cuffing Hinata lightly on the back of the head. Hinata actually laughed at him - the _twit_ \- and though the laughter was slight, Kageyama could tell it was honest.

"You really _don't_ know how to take a compliment, huh, Kageyama?" Hinata said, and then, his smile turned soft, more gentle. "...Thanks," Hinata said. "I feel a little better now. I guess it's...it's nice to be reminded sometimes. That I'm not alone."

Kageyama huffed. "Of course, moron," he said. "And I'll remind you again and again until it gets through that thick skull of yours."

"...If that's what it takes," said Hinata, "then okay."

Kageyama turned away after that. The club room fell silent, but it was a comfortable silence, not plagued with dread or sorrow. Kageyama was pretty used to picking up the pieces (or trying to at least) when Hinata had a particularly rough day. It was unfortunate that it happened often enough for him to be "used to it," but at the same time, at least he knew what to do in these situations.

"I think I'll be alright," said Hinata, and then, "No, I _know_ I'll be alright. It just…"

"...Takes time," Kageyama finished. "Yeah. There's no rush, though. Take all the time you need. Stuff like this...doesn't get better overnight."

He really didn't need to say it, because it was something they both knew from their own experiences, but maybe he said it _because_ they both knew it. Because it was something they could both _relate_ to.

"...For the record," Kageyama said, "I'm glad I met you, too, idiot."

Hinata smiled, and then pouted. "Y'know, adding 'idiot' at the end kind of spoils the mood."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh."

"Too bad."

Hinata sighed. "I figured you'd say something like that."

…

Roughly an hour later, Sugawara and Nishinoya bumped into each other and realized with a start that no, Hinata was not with either of them. Instantly, Sugawara phoned the rest of the team, and they doubled-back around to search for their blind teammate.

When their search reached the club room, they realized they shouldn't have worried at all.

Kageyama and Hinata were sleeping soundly, leaning against each other like it was the most normal thing to do. Kags the service dog had, at some point, gotten off his dog bed, and he now laid beside his owner, sleeping just as soundly. He didn't even raise his head when the rest of the team barged in the room.

"I swear," said Daichi, pinching the bridge of his nose, "these two are connected at the hip."

"But it's not necessarily a bad thing," said Nishinoya. "No one's gonna mess with Shōyō with Kageyama breathing down their neck."

Sugawara sighed tiredly. "Can you please stop talking about Kageyama like he's a predator of some sort?" he asked, though he already knew it was futile.

"Why not?" asked Tsukishima. "Because it's offensive to predators?"

Tanaka snickered; Daichi whacked him. "Be quiet, all of you," said Daichi. "Don't wake them up."

"We'll have to eventually," said Sugawara, "but for now, let's leave them be."

The rest of the team looked at their sleeping teammates, and then nodded in agreement. After all, it would be a crime to break this serenity.

…

Sometimes, Hinata had bad days.

But he never had to go through them alone.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I know this was supposed to be training camp chapter bUT STUFF KEEPS COMING UP AND I'M HAVING A SERIOUSLY HARD TIME WRITING THE TRAINING CAMP CHAPTER EVEN THOUGH I'M REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.**

 **So the reason I haven't updated is because I've been getting a ton of migraines lately plus my birthday was on the 21st, so there was that, which was great. But I haven't had a whole lot of time to plan/think/write especially since I also had some algebra tests and whatnot (I'm sure you guys relate to my "school problems" *sigh*)**

 **HOWEVER, thanks to the incredible Mim (Guest) reviewer/reader, I now have a very VERY solid out-line that I am 99% positive I will be following through this story! My New and Improved (Copyrighted XD) Battle Plan! And here it is!**

 **Chapter 14: The Unintentional Show-Off (Hinata and Kageyama fail their exams; WHAT DO YOU MEAN NO TOKYO TRAINING CAMP!?; Saeko is awesome; but her driving is not; Saeko dubs herself Hinata's Onee-chan; Blind!Hinata and Nekoma meet; "Is he really blind!? That kid ROCKS!" -Bokuto, probably)**

 **Chapter 15: The Brawl (Hinata and Kageyama's fight; Meeting former Coack Ukai; "The Toss that Stops"; Hinata asks Kageyama to teach him a new trick [it's a secret heh heh heh])**

 **Chapter 16: The Strengthening (the two-week long training camp; Bokuto tutoring Hinata; "Cogs"; farewell; Bokuto: "Go on, kid! Be the ace! If anyone tells you otherwise...you can come talk to me about it, alright? Just consider me your older brother, got it? That's right, I'm your big brother now," and Hinata is just so happy)**

 **Chapter 17, OMAKE: A Group of Crows is Called a Murder (Hinata is hurt by someone intentionally during a game; Karasuno is out for blood; Sugawara plays aggressively because nu-uh you did NOT just hurt my child you are goin' DOWN; and everyone else is really mad too; Kageyama may or may not have punched somebody; you'll have to take it up with Daichi who also may or may not have punched somebody)**

 **Chapter 18, OMAKE: The Senpais and their Kohai (focusing on Nishinoya and Tanaka; includes a field trip; Kageyama is going to kill someone probably; but what else is new)**

 **Chapter 19: The Trial and Error (Karasuno vs. Johzenji; Karasuno vs. Wakutani; feat. Aoba Johsai vs. Date Tech; Aone's reaction to Hinata's blindness; Hinata has trouble listening out for his teammates while on the court and Kageyama helps him focus; by yelling probably I dunno I didn't think I'd get this far)**

 **Chapter 20: The Breakthrough (Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai; Hinata tries the new trick mentioned earlier; Oikawa aims his serves at the precious sunshine child someone help him)**

 **Chapter 21, OMAKE: From the Background (Narita, Ennoshita, and Kinoshita centric; set right after the accident; Hinata's still in the hospital; "Does he like stuffed animals?" "I dunno." "Let's get him one." "Let's get him two." "Let's get him all of them.")**

 **Chapter 22: Let There Be Light (Karasuno vs. Shiratorizawa)**

 **Chapter 23, OMAKE: How Far We've Come (Flashback scene of the initial accident; Sugawara's POV; Kageyama is in shock; everyone is panicking; Daichi as Dadchi; he tries to be strong but that's hard to do when you watch your teammate getting loaded onto an ambulance)**

 **And that's it! (This A/N is getting really long I'm sorry guys :/). Let me know what you think and if you have any improvements/suggestions! :D Until then, shout-outs!**

 **(Right now, I can't do the list of shout-outs for all the favorites/followers, because there are so many of you amazing people out there and my head is fried from a migraine. So I promise I'll do them all in the next chapter, because you guys are amazing people and I love you all individually. Thank you for your support! I'll give you your shout-outs in the next chapter, I promise! I love you all!)**

 **Reviewer Shout-Outs:**

 **QuestionablyCapableGhoul: THANK YOU. I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT. :D**

 **Guest (#1): Hmmm no. XD**

 **Kelly185891: In that case, welcome to my story! *cough cough* word vomit *cough cough* XD I'm glad you love it! (And I hope you continue to love it right up until the very end!) :D**

 **HalfwayParanoid: Thanks! :) I promise I'll always do my best to keep chapters coming out...reasonably quickly. I dunno, I try. *sigh* I'm not always good at it though. But thanks for the review! :)**

 **Sadie: Honestly, I haven't caught up with the manga yet, so I really wouldn't know.** **¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯ Sorry. But I'll let you know if I hear anything, 'kay? :) About making his sight come back in the end...eh, who knows what'll happen? I don't. ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯ (I love this little shrug thing and I don't know why ¯\\_(** **ツ** **)_/¯ XD). Anyways, thanks for the review! I hope you continue to enjoy the story! :D**

 **RandomFujoshi: Erm, thanks? I think that's a compliment...? (The thing about crumbling hearts). I'll just take it as such! Thank you! XD I'm really looking forward to reading your story! I'm sure you're an amazing writer! :) Let me know as soon as you finish it! :) I look forward to seeing the "Godspeed" quick! :D Thanks for the review!**

 **Mim: That...is actually a really, really helpful outline! :) I don't know if you read the rest of my author's notes, but you can see what I used/didn't use in my New and Improved Plan just above the shout-outs. Thank you so much for the outline! It really helped! :) And Karasuno's "bench warmers" totally need more recognition, you're right. I...kind of forget them sometimes (shame, I know), so thanks for reminding me about them, too! I'd love to do a chapter with them! :D Hahaha, Daichi and Sugawara definitely need Dad/Mom t-shirts. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **MysteryElv: Well...actually...*cough* It's gonna be the next chapter unfortunately *cough* but YES we will see Bokuto! And I love him. Bokuto is amazing. XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thank you kindly! I'm glad you're still enjoying it! (I seriously use that phrase too much...but I really don't know what else to say...?) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Sugawara is just too amazing. I had to write a chapter in his POV, especially with his "Team Mom" role. Sugawara gives me life. And so does feedback, so thanks for the review! :D And I'm glad you like the line-up of chapters! (Even though I updated it...oops XD)**

 **KisunaFuji: Thanks! :D I love it, too!**

 **Iris Patton: YES I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE! *high-five* Heh heh, sorry 'bout that...I hope your exams are going well! :) Thanks for the review!**

 **Dutchess Frost: Wow, it's so awesome to get a review from someone who usually doesn't review, because when I realize that I get all warm and fuzzy inside because "they liked it enough to review it which is something they don't normally do aww." (Because I'm a sap that's why XD) So thank you for your review! It's always wonderful to receive feedback. :) And high-five for Mrs. Hinata being like Molly Weasley! :D**

 **Zunifex: Thank you so much! I love Suga. :)**

 **LostSilva: Aw thanks! :)**

 **Daggerandcloak1513: Thanks a bunch! I'm glad you like what you're reading! :D**

 **KyoRina97: Aww, you're so sweet. Thank you so much! I'm really, really glad you love the story! I love writing it, so it always makes me happy to hear that other people are loving it as well. :) Thank you so much for your review! (And Sugawara is hands-down the best :D).**

 **Thank you all so much for your support! I love you all so, so much and I'll see you in the next chapter! :)**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	14. The Unintentional Show-Off

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****IMPORTANT: READ THIS! I just wanted to clarify for everyone reading that this is NOT going to be Kagehina. It's going to be platonic brother-like relationships all the way through. Just wanted to clear that up for all you guys in case you were wondering. :) Without further adieu, enjoy the chapter!*****

 **…**

There were times when the entire world just seemed out to get Kageyama. It was just his nature, he supposed, or maybe bad luck just followed him around wherever he went, always waiting for the right time to screw up an otherwise perfectly good day.

So yeah. He had bad days, days when everything was against him and nothing went his way.

But _this_... _this_ far surpassed any normal "bad day" he could've had.

"I don't get it, how...how did you fail the exam!?"

Of course the one time he actually _needed_ to pass his test was the one time he couldn't. They were supposed to be going to an over-the-weekend training camp with Nekoma starting Saturday.

And Saturday was the day the supplementary exams were taken.

Hinata and Kageyama were currently in the club room, surrounded by their more-than-a-little-shocked teammates, who only continued to stare after Sugawara's question.

 _This sucks_ , Kageyama decided. _This_ really _sucks_.

But he wasn't alone in this feeling, either.

"Oy, idiot," Kageyama said to the dejected Hinata, who had his head down, staring at the floor like it had somehow betrayed him. "You studied like your life depended on it. How the heck'd you _fail?"_

Hinata turned, looking Kageyama right in the face (completely by coincidence, of course). "I'm _blind_ , Bakayama," said Hinata matter-of-factly, raising one hand to point at his foggy eyes. "What's _your_ excuse?"

Kageyama swung at him, and Hinata ducked.

"...Well," said Daichi, scratching the back of his neck, "it can't be helped. Don't worry, you two, there'll be other training camps in the future-"

"How're we going to get to Tokyo?" Kageyama questioned Hinata, as though Daichi weren't speaking at all. There was no way he was missing this training camp, and he knew Hinata felt the same. "Should we run?"

Hinata shook his head. "Nah, we need bikes."

"You're blind."

"We'll get one of those two-person thingies and you can steer."

"You guys are still planning on going!?" Sugawara said incredulously, and Hinata and Kageyama nodded firmly. "Bikes aren't going to work!" Sugawara exclaimed.

Hinata and Kageyama went back to looking at the ground. "I guess not. So the real problem is, how are we going to get to Tokyo?" said Hinata quietly.

"We'll think of something," said Kageyama. "We've worked too hard to give up now. We'll figure something out."

Tanaka tapped his chin, and then suddenly grinned, which was never a good sign. "Hey, first years," he said, jabbing his thumb at his chest. "I think I've got an idea."

Kageyama and Hinata whirled around in his direction, eyes wide.

"You can get us to Tokyo?" Hinata asked, leaping to his feet. He beamed widely, his eyes sparkling. "Tanaka-senpai!"

Tanaka laughed maniacally (Tsukishima turned and left the room with Yamaguchi). "You two just make sure you don't fail the supplementary exam!" said Tanaka proudly. "Leave the transportation to me!"

"Tanaka-senpai!" Hinata cried. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Sugawara sighed. " _Now_ I'm worried."

…

Kageyama still couldn't believe they failed their exam, but he had faith in Tanaka. Really, having faith in their senpai was the only choice they had. Kageyama wanted to go to the training camp himself, sure, but he knew Hinata would be far more disappointed if it didn't work out. Hinata really, _really_ wanted to go to the training camp. He'd always talked about it like it was the greatest thing in the world.

"I can finally see Kenma again!" Hinata had told Kageyama, right before they'd taken their exams. "And the rest of Nekoma, too! And there'll be tons of other powerful teams there, and we'll get to play a lot of games! I'm so excited! I can't wait!"

There was no way they were going to miss out on this opportunity. Failed exams weren't going to take away their training camp.

"Hey, Kageyama? What do you think Tanaka-senpai's going to do?" Hinata asked Kageyama as they walked down the sidewalks back towards Hinata's home, Kags leading Hinata and Kageyama making sure they were on the right track. The sun was setting, the sky an orange-yellow and the few clouds a slight pink.

Kageyama shrugged. "Dunno," he said honestly. "But, as long as we get to Tokyo, does it really matter?"

Hinata beamed. "Nope!" he said, shaking his head. "We're gonna go to Tokyo, no matter what! Oh, I'm so excited! It's going to be awesome!"

 _He says that all the time_ , Kageyama thought, but he didn't comment. He couldn't argue, because he felt the same way.

This training camp _was_ going to be "awesome," just like Hinata said.

...

However, neither of them could've prepared themselves for the means of transportation Tanaka set up for them.

While the rest of the team left early in the morning on the bus, Hinata and Kageyama stayed behind to take their exams (which infuriated them). They worked harder and faster than ever before; they actually startled their teacher by their sudden enthusiasm, but they blocked out all her comments, only focused on the task at hand.

Then, exams passed and triumph in their hearts, Kageyama and Hinata raced down the hall and out of the school.

There awaited their savior.

"'Sup, flunkers!" cheered Saeko Tanaka, raising two fingers to her temple in a sort-of salute. "So you wanna get to Tokyo as fast as possible, am I right?"

Kageyama and Hinata exchanged glances.

"She's definitely Tanaka's sister," said Hinata. "Hey, what does she look like?"

Kageyama watched Tanaka's sister for a moment, then answered. "Imagine a blond, female Tanaka."

Hinata pondered this for a moment, then nodded, grinning. "Thanks!" said Hinata. "This is going to be great! If she's Tanaka's sister, I'm sure she's amazing!"

Kageyama, however, could see a dangerous, mischievous look in Saeko's eyes that put him on edge. Tanaka's warning came back to haunt him: _"Unfortunately, the safety and comfort of the ride cannot be guaranteed."_

Now that Kageyama was actually seeing Saeko, that line made a lot more sense.

Saeko stepped towards them, waving and beaming. "Hey, so you're Shōyō, right?" said Saeko to Hinata, though by the tone of her voice she already knew exactly who he was.

Hinata grinned and nodded brightly, blissfully unaware of the danger they were in.

"And Kageyama, too," said Saeko, grinning at him as well, which only served to unsettle Kageyama further. "Ryū's told me all about you two. I flunked my tests when I was your age, too, so I totally get the struggle. Anyways…" She clapped her hands together. "Let's go! I'll get you boys to Tokyo in no time!"

Kageyama swallowed hard.

…

Kageyama thought he was ging to die.

He literally - _literally_ \- thought he was gonna die.

Saeko's driving was... _insane_ , and that was putting it lighty. He was thrown back and forth in the back seat (Hinata somehow managed to get to ride shotgun) as Saeko pulled off otherwise impossible turns while going at an illegal speed.

"Hold on!" said Saeko, and she bore right, speeding down the highway almost _inhumanly_ fast. _No one_ should have been able to drive a car that fast without crashing, and that's not to say Saeko didn't come close a couple times. She had to swerve to avoid a truck and almost plowed straight into a stoplight when she took her eyes off the road for a moment.

Kags, laying at Hinata's feet, didn't appreciated the rough driving, either. He'd yelp at sudden turns, though for the most part stayed quiet, trying to sleep (as Kageyama wished he could do).

 _Don't crash don't crash don't crash don't crash don't crash_ , Kageyama thought, over and over and over to himself. If they crashed now, it would put a real damper on the training camp.

When they finally got onto the freeway, Saeko calmed down, leaning back and stretching while Kageyama sat frozen in his seat, every muscle stiff. By the looks of it, Hinata was no different.

"Ah!" said Saeko, sighing. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

"A-Are we s-still alive?" Hinata asked, and he sounded so honest and startled that it was comical.

"I hope so," Kageyama said quietly. "It'd be hard to play volleyball otherwise."

Saeko blew air out of her nose like a bull about to charge. "Y'know, you two could have some more faith in me," she said. "I got you this far, didn't I? The rest should be smooth sailin'."

 _Dang, I hope so_ , thought Kageyama desperately.

…

Once Saeko's driving slowed, Kageyama and Kags fell asleep relatively quickly, leaving Hinata and Saeko to enjoy the drive. It took a long, _long_ time before Hinata's nerves calmed, and when they did, he turned his head towards Saeko, though he couldn't see her.

"Um...Saeko?" Hinata said.

"Call me Saeko-nesan," said Saeko. "You're a friend of Ryū's, which means you're practically family to me."

"Oh...okay, Saeko-nesan," said Hinata. "Thanks for taking us to Tokyo."

"Don't mention it," said Saeko, and Hinata could hear the smile behind her voice. "Anything I can do to help. So, you like volleyball so much that you're concerned about it?"

Hinata nodded instantly. That was something he didn't even have to think about. "Yes."

"Why did you start playing volleyball, Shōyō?" Saeko asked.

This was also something Hinata didn't need to think about before answering. "When I was in grade school," he began eagerly, "I saw the Spring Tournament on TV. It was right when Karasuno was playing, and..."

He beamed brighter.

"I saw the Little Giant!"

"You saw the Little Giant."

He paused, turning. Saeko and him had spoken nearly the same thing at nearly the same time.

"...Or something?" Saeko finished. Hinata gaped at her. "Ha, so I was right?" said Saeko.

"Saeko-nesan, you know the Little Giant!?" Hinata questioned, leaning closer. Now _this_ was a new development that he hadn't been expecting, never in a thousand years.

"I think I actually went to school with him," said Saeko.

"WHAT!?"

"But I never spoke to him," said Saeko idly. "I probably would've known him better if he was the mischievous type that stood out."

Hinata blinked. "Were you like the sort of person who was friends with all the bad guys, Ne-san?"

Saeko actually laughed at that, loudly and very Tanaka-like. "Pretty much, yeah!" she said. And then, suddenly, her voice lowered as she continued. "But...I happened to catch one of their practice matches one time, and he was worse than most the scary people I knew."

Hinata frowned, confused but intrigued.

"More than scary, though, he was intense," said Saeko.

"...You mean the way he'd spike a ball?" Hinata asked.

"No," said Saeko. "Maybe he wasn't feeling like himself at the time, but he was being switched out. He's what you guys call the ace, right? The absolute pride and confidence of being the ace...you could see that rising up from his body. Actually…" Hinata could hear a smirk behind her words. "I almost fell for the guy."

And she laughed hysterically again.

 _She's definitely Tanaka's big sister,_ Hinata decided.

"But, y'know," said Saeko, "you remind me of the Little Giant, but honestly, if I'm gonna be frank, I think you're on a whole other level."

Hinata blinked. "...What do you mean?"

"I mean," said Saeko, "your courage. You're a lot like the Little Giant in your physical abilities, and I'm sure you'll be just as great as he was in no time at all, if not better. But as far as everything else is concerned, you're completely different."

He heard her take a breath and let it out.

"...Like I said, Ryū's told me everything about you," she went on. "And I think you, being able to push forward and keep going even after everything that's happened...that's _huge_. I know _I_ wouldn't be able to do it."

Hinata didn't have to ask what she meant. The accident and his disability were no secret. Frankly, he'd be more surprised if Saeko _didn't_ know.

"If you ask me, you're already a Little Giant, Shōyō," said Saeko, and she reached over and ruffled his hair. "You must really love volleyball to keep playing after everything that's happened, don't you?"

Hinata nodded. "Yes, I do," he said. And then… "Thank you, ne-san."

"You don't have to thank me!" said Saeko, and Hinata could tell she was grinning once more. "I'm just callin' it like I see it! Oh, by the way, if anyone tries to tell you to give up, or that you aren't good enough…you can come talk to me about it, alright? I'm your ne-san now, so it's my job to look after you."

Hinata smiled widely. "Okay!"

…

Kageyama cracked one eye open briefly, and then shut it again.

" _Already a Little Giant?"_ he repeated to himself, recounting what he'd heard from Saeko and Hinata's conversation. _Yeah...that sounds about right._

…

"Phew! We totally made it!" Saeko announced, pulling open the doors of the gym. "You guys're still at it, huh? Then we're just in time!"

"Ne-san!" Nishinoya cheered.

Asahi looked at Saeko, and then back at Nishinoya. "Is that your sister?" Asahi asked.

"No, she's Ryū's sister," answered Nishinoya.

"...So the stars are showing up fashionably late?" Kuroo said, glancing over at the doorway. "How annoying."

Saeko stepped back, and Kageyama and Hinata stepped into the gym, Hinata holding on to his service dog's harness (the poor dog was still a little unsteady on his feet from Saeko's driving).

"I'm relieved you guys made it," said Daichi, moving towards them.

"And in one piece, to boot," Tanaka said quietly.

The gym was big, something that Kageyama noticed instantly - but something else Kageyama noticed (something much more obvious) were all the stares he and Hinata were receiving from the other teams present.

Or, it wasn't really _him_ receiving the stares.

It was Hinata. They were all staring straight at Hinata.

Kageyama knew it was bound to happen - after all, Hinata showed up to a volleyball training camp with a _seeing-eye-dog_ \- but that didn't make Kageyama any happier about it. He always hated it when people stared, even though Hinata didn't know the difference.

"He's...he's blind?" That was from Kuroo, Nekoma's captain. "Kenma! Did you know about this!?" Kuroo asked, whirling around to look at their team's brain and setter.

Kenma looked away shyly, shifting his weight. "...Yes."

"Why didn't you tell us?" said Kuroo; the rest of Nekoma, and the other teams there, looked absolutely shocked. "You said he was fine!"

"I said he was okay," said Kenma. "I didn't want to bring it up."

"Why not!?"

"Because I knew you'd react like this."

"It's not a big deal," said Hinata, and Kuroo stopped instantly. "Don't get mad at Kenma." He raised his hand and waved brightly, and Kenma said quietly, but loudly enough for Hinata to hear, "Hello, Shōyō."

"We have one more game for today," said Daichi to Hinata and Kageyama, ignoring the rest of the volleyball players present. Not for the first time, Kageyama was thankful for Daichi's level-headedness. "Are you two ready for a game?"

"Yes! Yahoo!" Hinata cheered, throwing his free hand into the air. "Who're we playing? Nekoma?"

Daichi shook his head. "We're playing Shinzen," he said. "I'll fill you in in a minute. Come on, let's get ready."

Hinata nodded and turned, and Kageyama led them over to Karasuno's bench, where Kiyoko and Yachi were waiting with their practice uniforms. They got suited up, and once everyone else was ready, Hinata left with Kags with Yachi, and the match began.

…

"He's seriously blind, huh?"

"I wonder why he's on the team. I mean, he's there for a reason, isn't he?"

"He's playing middle blocker? That's strange."

"Karasuno's not dumb, there's gotta be some reason."

Kageyama didn't really know which players were commenting; only that they annoyed him to no end. Sure, they weren't crap-talking Hinata, nor were they insulting him, but still, the fact that they were gossiping about it was enough to light Kageyama's short fuse.

 _There_ is _a reason he's on the team,_ Kageyama thought, as Tanaka sent the ball to him and he got ready to set, jostling the bell strapped to his wrist in the process (he and the rest of the team were wearing their respective bells as usual).

 _Just you wait. You'll see._

Hinata ran, counting his strides under his breath, jumped, and Kageyama pin-point tossed the ball right into his palm.

 _BANG!_

The ball hit the other side of the court, just like that.

"YES!" Hinata said, fist-pumping. "Kageyama, did you see that!? I spiked it!"

Kageyama nodded firmly, satisfied.

The rest of the teams only stared, completely confused, eyes wide and full of something that could only be described as complete and utter shock. Even Kenma seemed surprised.

And then, chaos exploded.

"WHAT!?"

"Did you see that!?"

"He spiked it blind!"

"Speaking of which, that toss was so fast!"

"How'd he hit it?"

"Whoa! No way! Did you see that, Akaashi? Is he really blind!? Man, that kid _rocks!"_

Kageyama smirked silently to himself. Hinata deserved those rounds of applause and encouragements.

In fact, with everything he'd been through, he deserved it more than anyone.

…

 **OMAKE: Volley Puns**

"Wait wait wait I've got one!" Hinata said, raising his hand. "Volleyball definitely _spikes_ my interest!"

Tanaka paused a moment, and then he laughed hysterically, smacking his hand against his forehead. "C-Crap, Hinata, that was amazing!" Tanaka said proudly. "How'd you come up with that one?"

"Yeah, totally! I really _dig_ it," said Nishinoya, nodding proudly.

Tanaka laughed harder, and then, he tried to regain some of his composure. "Okay, I've got one now," said Tanaka, holding back laughter. "If volleyball was a subject in school, I'd _ace_ it."

"OOOOOOOOH!"

"These puns are so bad, they're makin' me _bawl_ ," said Nishinoya.

"Anything else will only _serve_ to make you feel worse!" said Tanaka, and they all laughed.

"This is too much," said Daichi, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Kageyama, please stop this."

Kageyama nodded seriously. "Yeah, you're right," he said. "This whole thing isquite...up _setting_."

"OOOOOOHHHHH! KAGEYAMA!" said Tanaka, smacking Kageyama on the back while Nishinoya and Hinata cheered in the background. "I didn't know you had a sense of humor!"

Daichi sighed heavily. "I thought you were the normal one," Daichi said, putting his head in his hands.

"I worry about this team," said Sugawara, watching his kohais with a concerned frown. "Constantly."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **BEFORE YOU ALL RUN AWAY, I HAVE A VERY IMPORTANT QUESTION THAT WILL DETERMINE HOW THIS STORY ENDS. AND I NEED YOUR HELP TO ANSWER SAID QUESTION, SO PLEASE READ!**

 **So anyways, by the way things are looking, this story's going to be catching up to the anime before another season airs - which means that it is eventually going to end. Even though I plan on catching up with the manga myself, I'm not going to continue this this story once I run out of anime-material.**

 **Which means this story is going to end around the same time Season 3 ends. Going by my outline, it'll reach between 20 and 30 chapters before ending. When this story is over, I'll wait for another season of Haikyuu! and then write a sequel story, if anyone's still interested.**

 **But anyways, even though there will be a sequel to this one covering the to-be-aired seasons of the anime,** _ **Learning to Fly With a Broken Wing**_ **is going to end.**

 **Which brings me to the question:**

 _ **Do you want Hinata's sight to come back?**_

 **I originally didn't consider this at all, but one reviewer (Sadie, Guest) gave me an idea and I couldn't really put it down. Before you give me your answer, I'm going to say a couple of things regarding this question:**

 **1\. The chapter will be labeled as an "OMAKE" and won't follow the story's proper timeline.**

 **2\. The chapter will be set shortly after Hinata graduates high school, so it'll be in the future, which means that Hinata will still be blind during the events of the anime/manga/sequel story.**

 **3\. There will be lots of tears of joy from the entire team/Hinata/Hinata's family. It'll overall just be a really, really sweet chapter.**

 **So that's that. (And if you have questions, leave a review or PM me.) Now here's what I want YOU, as readers, to do:**

 **LEAVE YOUR ANSWER IN THE REVIEWS! Do you want Hinata to get his sight back eventually? The outcome will be determined by the number of yes/nos I receive! So please let me know! :)**

 **And now shout-outs, starting with the favorites/followers and moving down to the reviewers! :)**

 **Here's to 3elizabeth, 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Aurora M Borialice, BlueMoonChaos, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, angiecrevansalamero, AnimeXD801, Bibi2002, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, Caleo Ignacium, CareBear0309, Dark Papercut, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, Hikari1994, horsegrl2000, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, ImpsDream, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Sebastian Michaeles, Saphirabrightscale, Slam'in Burst, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, TimeTurner394, tista93, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, meroku, MooseTalk, 3, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, nanigirl15, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, kaizyfordemwalt, XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX, ViolentOtaku, Kryste-Harte, allseer15, XxWinterFlowersxX, Cineka, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Secretariat1, Pandamons, Kelly185891, Amusingly Disturbed, Blujay2113, Icebabe87, AlyZoe, mindofmonsters, Fallenangel5342, MonochromeFeathers, Lawrian, TDarling14, AnimeManga1234, Shakyla, Masks of JM and JS, mektp98, Daggerandcloak1513, and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And now for the reviewers:**

 **allseer15: WOW it sounds like you really like this fic so far! I'm glad! :D And those ideas are AMAZING I love them! Especially the one with the whole "memorizing-faces-by-touching-them" gimmick. I think that's amazing! :D So thank you for the review/ideas! I think I'll definitely use them in the future! :D**

 **eisu: Haha, yep! Literally everyone is Hinata Protection Squad. XD Thanks for the review!**

 **CallofRanger13: Hahahahahahaha that's an awesome idea! :D I think I'll do that, thanks! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **PandaEyedSpectre: Thank you very much! :D I seriously need to just upload the rest of the chapters to AO3, so people can download it if they want. :) Oh, and I see you got an account! Awesome! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Iris Patton: Thank you very much! :D Haha, I'm glad I didn't post it while you were studying or anything. Sounds like I had good timing this time. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thanks! I'm super excited for everything , too! I know I'm going to have a ton of fun writing all there is to come! :D And I love these characters to death. I seriously, seriously love them to death. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **RandomFujoshi: Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! I seriously don't know how to respond to that. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Zunifex: Thanks! I really do love the omakes; they give me a bit of a break when the main plotline of this fic is hard to write. :) And to answer your question, this story will NOT be Kagehina. I'm just going to keep it platonic. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **QuestionablyCapableGhoul: Thanks a bunch! I love these characters so, so, so much. Hinata is too precious, too good for this world, precious sunshine child who must be protected. I seriously love all these characters too much for my own good. Really. :) Thank you for your encouraging review! :D**

 **Daggerandcloak1513: HAHAHAHAHA YES YOU SAW YER NAME! I'm glad you like the chapter outline! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LostSilva: Thanks! And no, actually I just turned 1,247, but 80 was a good guess. :P (LOL JK) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Sadie: As you can see from above, I definitely took your thought into consideration! The moment you said "And he could be crying and his whole team would be there" all the ideas started flowing through and I couldn't get it out of my mind. We'll see how the vote goes! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Thank you all for your continued support, and I hope to see you soon! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	15. The Brawl

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

"Listen, Kageyama, I need to talk to you about something."

Kageyama turned, glancing at the shorter; Hinata stood just a couple feet away from him, holding a volleyball with both hands. They were in Karasuno's gym, doing some late night practicing before the next upcoming training camp.

In all honesty, Kageyama was thrilled with the prospect of this training camp; it was a great way to test the team's strengths and weaknesses, and learn from the other teams in the camp in the process (Kageyama was still fascinated by Nekoma's setter, Kenma, and his playing style).

"Yeah, sure," said Kageyama. "What's up?"

"Um...it's about our quick set," said Hinata. "We were...completely shut out by Aoba Johsai the last time we played them, and...well...unless we do something, that's never going to change."

Kageyama turned, fully facing the spiker. "We'll find a way to make it work," he said. "That spike-"

"It isn't enough," Hinata interrupted, squeezing the ball he held almost like he was trying to strangle it. "There's no 'finding a way to make it work.' A block is a block, and a spike is a spike."

Kageyama frowned. Hinata rarely made sense when he was talking, but this time, he was making even _less_ sense than usual. "What're you trying to say, idiot?" he questioned.

"I...I want to be able to spike past the blockers," said Hinata. "No, I _need_ to be able to get around the blockers somehow. But...I don't know how." He raised one hand and waved it in front of his fogged, cloudy eyes. "There's _this_ , first of all, and...well...I spike with my eyes closed, anyways."

"You want...more of an advantage in the air. To choose your battles," Kageyama said, and Hinata nodded. Kageyama frowned, thinking this over.

 _He has a point_ , thought Kageyama to himself. _Our current spike isn't any good against Aoba Johsai, and even if we_ did _manage to beat them by sheer luck, we'd just move on to a stronger team, and they'd definitely be too much for us._

 _But...how can Hinata do in-air battles?_

A spiker's biggest advantage was while they were in the air, when they could see the blockers and determine where to spike. But even if Hinata could miraculously start hitting Kageyama's tosses with his eyes open, there was still the problem that Hinata couldn't _see_.

He'd _never_ be able to see the opponent's blockers.

"...I don't know," said Kageyama, and Hinata stiffened. "It might not be possible."

Hinata opened his mouth to object, looking almost desperate, _frightened_ , even, but Kageyama stopped him before he had the chance to say anything.

"Hinata, listen," Kageyama said firmly. "We can talk to the coach, try to figure something out, but...sometimes...some people just can't do some things."

Something suddenly filled Hinata's eyes. Anger, fury, hurt, Kageyama couldn't tell. "What are you saying?" Hinata asked lowly. "Kageyama, if...if I can't spike...I'm useless to the team."

 _Dangit, I didn't mean it like that_ , Kageyama grimaced. "We've talked about this-" he tried, but the damage was done.

"I know you're lying!" Hinata exploded, making Kageyama jump involuntarily. "If I can't spike, there's literally nothing else I can do for the team! Even if I make freak saves, Nishinoya's still better and more experienced than me! And everyone on the bench is a more well-rounded player, so who's to say I won't just get switched out!?"

Kageyama didn't like getting yelled at, least of all by Hinata. Not to mention, the spiker's anger was very, very contagious, and Kageyama had a short fuse to begin with. "We aren't lying to you, stupid!" he snapped furiously. "I told you, you're a part of this team no matter what!"

"I can be a part of the team without playing games!" Hinata countered, equally furiously. "If I'm on the bench, I'm still technically a part of the team, aren't I!? How can I believe you when you say I'm not useless!?"

"You're just gonna have to trust us!" Kageyama snarled. His tone of voice did poorly to back up what he was saying, but he couldn't care less at this point.

"'Trust' isn't the problem!" Hinata snapped right back. "This isn't a matter of _trust!_ I don't know what to think anymore, about anything! I'm useless to the team if I can't spike!"

Kageyama grabbed Hinata by his shoulders tightly and shook him. If Hinata was surprised, he didn't show it, even slightly. Maybe he'd been expecting Kageyama to grab him.

" _SHUT UP!"_ Kageyama demanded. If this didn't stop soon, things would get ugly, and he knew he would end up doing something he'd regret. "YOU AREN'T USELESS, IDIOT, SO _SHUT UP!"_

Yeah that probably wasn't the greatest thing to say, but what the heck, he was clueless otherwise. And he was so _angry,_ so downright _angry._ Did it even _matter_ what he tried to get into Hinata's head? Did the idiot seriously still think he wasn't good enough for the team?

Kageyama was sick of it. He knew it was wrong of him, especially after all Hinata had gone through, but Kageyama _literally could not stand it anymore._

He was angry at Hinata because he still thought he was useless. Because the _stupid idiot still thought he was useless to the team if he couldn't spike_ and this angered Kageyama more than he wanted to admit.

Hinata wasn't fazed by it, though. If anything, Kageyama's order only further fueled his rage. "'Shut up'!?" Hinata questioned. " _You're_ the one acting like it's impossible for me to spike any other way! What if Ushijima was right!? What if you guys _are_ just letting me play because you pity me!? How am I supposed to know the difference, Bakayama!?"

Kageyama clenched his teeth, hands tightening further on Hinata's shoulders. He didn't know why, but Hinata bringing up Ushijima suddenly made him ten times angrier, which definitely wasn't a good thing, as he was already as angry as angry could be.

He acted without thinking.

In the one moment when his mind was blank with rage, he tightened his grip again, swung Hinata around, and threw him against the wall - _hard_.

Hinata yelped, in pain or surprise, Kageyama couldn't tell. He slid to the ground, landing in a heap on his side.

It took Kageyama a total of five seconds for his brain to register what he'd just done.

He took a step backwards, as Hinata pushed himself up on his hands, knees bent against the court's floor. Kageyama only stared, unable to move again.

 _...Did I really...just do that…?_

Hinata raised his head, looking straight at him, but Kageyama couldn't read the expression on his face. It was somewhere between hurt and furious, and tears pricked the corners of Hinata's foggy eyes.

"Hinata, I didn't…" Kageyama didn't know what to _say_ , let alone _do_.

He hated to admit it, and it made him feel like a horrible, horrible person, but he was still angry. His shock hadn't fully overcome his anger towards the spiker, and he hated himself for it.

But before he had the chance to say anything else, Hinata stumbled to his feet and bolted, counting his strides until he turned and raced out of the gym.

"Hinata-!" Kageyama started, raising a hand and taking a single step towards the door - but that was all. A single step was all he took before he stopped, slowly lowering his arm until it rested at his side again.

There was nothing he could say that wouldn't make everything worse.

…

Hinata stood outside Coach Ukai's shop with Kags the service dog waiting patiently by his side. Kageyama stood on stand-by, waiting with Hinata and the border collie, and though Hinata couldn't see him, he could hear the setter's breathing.

They hadn't spoken to each other since their argument. The only reason Kageyama was here at all was because Daichi made him.

Hinata didn't really know what to think. After he'd left the gym, he'd called Nishinoya and asked the libero to walk him home. Nishinoya had been more than happy, and he didn't ask any questions, which was good; Hinata did _not_ want to think about Kageyama whatsoever.

But then, as he was leaving the gym after practice earlier, the day after his and Kageyama's fight, Coach Ukai had stopped him.

"Hinata, there's someone I would like you to meet," he'd said. "Could you have someone wait with you outside my shop? I'll meet you there."

Hinata had agreed - and then wished he hadn't when Daichi assigned Kageyama to the task of waiting with him.

So here they were, in complete, stubborn silence, refusing to say a word to each other.

Finally, at long last, Hinata heard footsteps coming in their direction, followed by a familiar voice. "Didn't expect you two to actually show up," said Coach Ukai, and Hinata could hear the smirk behind his voice. "Thanks for waiting, Kageyama. I'll take it from here."

"Right," said Kageyama, nodding, and he turned, walking past Hinata down the sidewalk towards home. He didn't say anything, and neither did Hinata.

If Coach Ukai was bothered by the fact the setter and the spiker were no longer speaking to each other, he didn't comment. "Ready to go, Hinata?" he asked instead.

Hinata jumped, lost in thought, then nodded. "Oh, yeah, I'm ready," said Hinata. "But...I have to ask...where are we going, exactly?"

Ukai's hand fell onto Hinata's shoulder. "You'll see," the coach said.

Hinata blinked at him.

"...Well," Ukai refrained, "I'll tell you when we get there."

And Hinata nodded.

…

Hinata lost track of how long they were driving. Kags had fallen asleep a long time ago on the floorboard of Coach Ukai's car, while Hinata sat in the passenger seat. The further they drove, the more anxious and curious Hinata became.

"Are we almost there?" Hinata asked at long last.

"Nearly," said Coach Ukai. "Just a little while longer. Trust me, the trip's worth it."

"Can you at least tell me what this is about?"

He heard Ukai sigh. "I talked to Kageyama the other day," he said.

Hinata frowned, but said nothing.

"He told me a little bit about what you were talking to him about, y'know," Ukai went on, "about your quick set. I thought about it for a while, and here we are."

Hinata blinked, and then, his enthusiasm peaked. It didn't matter that he was still angry with Kageyama; when it came to volleyball, he'd push any emotion aside, if just for a while. "So you know someone who can help with the quick set!?" he asked eagerly.

"Maybe," said Ukai. "He may or may not help with the quick set, but I know he'll definitely help you with your technique either way. He's not going to believe his eyes when he sees what you can do."

"Oh, right," Hinata said, nodding. "He'll be surprised that I'm still playing, even though I'm blind."

He could almost feel Ukai frowning at him. "That's not what I meant, Hinata."

"It's okay, I'm used to people being surprised," said Hinata. "A blind volleyball player isn't really something you come across often…"

A thick silence hung over the car for a while longer, until finally, Ukai spoke again.

"We're here," he said.

…

Ukai stood beside Hinata, who held onto Kags' harness. Hinata couldn't quite place where he was; it was definitely somewhere he'd never been before, but that was it. There were other people around him, and he could hear their footsteps (against an uneven surface-probably sand, or dirt).

More than that, he heard the sounds of a volleyball being tossed and set.

 _Am I on a court?_ he wondered. _Where am I?_

"Are you sure you should be moving around like that right after getting out of the hospital?" Coach Ukai asked from right beside him, and Hinata blinked, confused.

"Eh?" another voice said back, older and grouchier. "If they let you out of the hospital, it means they're giving you permission to move around all you want."

Coach Ukai sighed heavily. "He's my grandpa," he told Hinata.

Hinata jumped, shocked. "W-What?" he asked. "You mean...he's...Coach Ukai!?"

The same Ukai that led the nameless Karasuno to Nationals? There was no way. But Coach Ukai had just said that it was him, and anyways, it wasn't completely unheard of.

"This is Hinata," said Coach Ukai to his grandfather. "The one I told you about."

"Yeah, I know who he is," said Ukai. "You explained the situation over the phone. You didn't know what to do with their weirdo-quick and ran away, aye, Keishin?" He scoffed. "Some coach, completely clueless when it comes to your team... idiot."

Hinata swallowed thickly. "...I...I want to learn how to fight on my own!" he said, interrupting what he feared would turn into a family feud.

He couldn't see it, but he could feel the former Ukai's eyes on him. "You want to master mid-air battles when you're only that tall?" Ukai asked. "And…" He stopped there, but Hinata knew what he wanted to say: _"And when you're blind?"_

Ukai may not have mentioned it before, but Hinata could tell he was shocked by all of this, the fact he was blind, particularly. However, Hinata decided this wasn't the time to be dwelling on that.

"It's because I'm only this tall!" Hinata said. Then, he shifted his weight, looking down at the ground. "...It might sound like I'm saying something weird, but..."

"What's weird about it?" Ukai asked, and Hinata looked up. "No matter what kind of genius setter you're dealing with, in what we call a quick attack, the one that's the absolute leader...is you."

...

"You'll need awareness to improve your technique," the former Coach Ukai told him. "Tell me, Hinata, what do you personally think about this weirdo quick of yours?"

"Um…" Hinata paused. He'd never been asked this before, so he didn't quite know how to answer. "I go _woosh_ ," he swiped his hand across the air, "and then jump as high as I can, like _pop_ ," he jumped for demonstration, "and then the set comes towards me like, _slash_ , and then I wave my arm, like _swoosh_ , and my hand happens to perfectly make contact, like _whack_."

"Er," the current Coach Ukai stepped forward, "what he's trying to say is when he jumps with his eyes closed, our setter Kageyama tosses the ball directly to him-"

"I get what you're trying to say" said Ukai. "But you're wrong, Shrimpy."

Hinata blanched. _Shrimpy?_

"So long as that freak quick is indeed a quick attack," said Ukai, continuing, "you still hold the initiative in this. You need to get that through your head. Don't think of your weapon as something that's unknown. Well…"

He turned, and Hinata heard him stepping away. "I guess it's faster just to show you. I know you can't see, but you can listen, can't you?"

Hinata nodded.

"In that case," said Ukai, "go ahead and try blocking. You're a middle blocker, aren't ya?"

"Yeah...alright," said Hinata. He left Kags with Coach Ukai and stepped onto the sand. He kept walking and reached out until he touched the net, and then took a step backwards into his position.

"So you're a grade-school kid?" one of Ukai's students asked him curiously. "What school?"

"I'm in high school!" Hinata protested.

"Alright!" Ukai called, and Hinata turned, mentally preparing himself. "Here we go! Third tempo!"

 _Third tempo?_ Hinata didn't really know what that meant, but it didn't matter all that much. He listened closely, imagining the scenario in his head. The toss went up, and feet shifted in the sand.

 _This way!_ he decided, charging in that direction. He planted his feet, jumped - and the spiker hit the ball right into his face.

 _Ouch! That hurt!_

 _...Well, at least I blocked it._

"Wow!" Ukai's student spiker exclaimed. "Your face was totally above the net!"

"Y-Yeah!" Hinata stuttered, rubbing his face. _Gah, that really hurt...I really need to stop getting hit in the face like that..._

"You've definitely got some spring in your step…" Ukai murmured. He probably hadn't intended Hinata to hear him, but with Hinata's heightened senses, things rarely escaped his ears. "Alright, second tempo!"

Footsteps, and then the toss almost simultaneously. Hinata listened, decided where the ball was heading, and blocked the spike again, this time not with his face.

"Alright! First tempo!"

Feet shifted, and the toss went up. This time, Hinata didn't make it in time to block, and the ball hit the sand just a little ways across from him.

 _What the...that's amazing! I knew where it was going, but I still couldn't stop it in time!_

"It's fast!" Hinata proclaimed.

"Could you block it?" Ukai questioned.

"If anything, I don't think I could do it on my own," said Hinata, still in awe.

"In the three tempos you just listened to," Ukai said, "was there any real difference in how the spiker hit it?"

Hinata couldn't see, of course, but he could hear incredibly well, and that told him enough. "No," he said, "I don't think so."

"Then what was the difference?"

Hinata stopped. _The difference?_ He thought back, running the tempos through his head once again.

"...The timing of their running approach?" he guessed.

"Correct!" said Ukai. "That's what tempo is. The agility in any attack is determined by its tempo. It's not how fast or slow the toss may be, but the running approach of the spiker."

Hinata tilted his head.

"The fastest is first tempo," said Ukai. "It's the easiest way to get around the opponent's block, and it's probably the one you've been using without realizing it. But you have to actually understand it. Think about it. You start your running approach before the setter's toss goes up...the setter tosses to the spiker...Which means, your weirdo quick is also an attack in which the spiker leads."

Hinata pondered this for a moment, and then nodded in understanding. "First tempo…" he repeated quietly under his breath.

"And…" Ukai stepped away, moving towards his grandson, "I don't know what kind of attack this weirdo quick is, but this much is certain. There's no better toss than one that the spiker can easily hit."

"...It can't be one-sided," Coach Ukai said, almost like he'd come to a sudden realization.

Hinata turned. "Huh?"

"Hinata, practice here for a bit!" Coach Ukai shouted, and his feet hit the ground in a rapid session; he was running back to the car.

"S-Sure…" Hinata said slowly, and then, he turned back towards the ground, lost in thought. "The timing of the spiker's running approach is everything…" he murmured under his breath. "But that's not enough. Up until now, I was only working to get to the top, but..."

"From now on, you want to fight at the top, too," Ukai finished.

Hinata looked up nodded.

"In order for that to happen," Ukai told him, "your partner's gonna need some improvement, too. I'm sure Keishin will do something about that."

Hinata looked down briefly for a moment or two.

"...Kageyama's an amazing guy, so I'm sure he can do it," Hinata said. "I don't want to be left behind, so...please teach me how to fight at the top."

…

Kageyama was walking down the sidewalk, heading towards Karasuno. He didn't quite know what to do at the moment. He was angry at himself, for one, for the fight with Hinata, and he was also angry because he didn't know what to do with their quick attack.

 _Hinata's serious about this_ , he thought to himself. _He's doing literally everything in his power to make this thing work. If there was just one thing, one thing we could make different...I know he can do mid-air battles, even without seeing._

 _The real question is…_

 _...How?_

There had to be something. Ultimately, once the toss went up, Kageyama no longer had any part in the fight. It was up to Hinata. Something had to change, or they would never make any progress.

His phone suddenly buzzed, startling him, and he pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open, accepting the call.

"Hello?"

 _"KAGEYAMA!"_

Kageyama jumped and pulled the phone away from his ear in shock. "U-Ukai," he stuttered, confused. _Why's the Coach calling me?_

 _"WHERE ARE YOU RIGHT NOW!?"_ Ukai demanded.

"I'm heading towards the school," said Kageyama.

 _"WHAT!?"_

Kageyama jumped again. Just what had gotten into the coach?

 _Maybe he's finally lost it._

 _"KAGEYAMA!"_ This time, Kageyama heard the voice from his phone _and_ from a little ways away, and he turned, just in time to see the coach sprinting towards him - like a total _madman_.

Kageyama cringed. _What...the heck..._

"KAGEYAMA! COME WITH ME!" Ukai shouted.

 _Yeah, no thank you!_

Kageyama was seriously tempted to turn and bolt in the opposite direction, but it was too late; Ukai reached him, grasping his upper forearms and staring into his face.

"A toss that stops!" the coach said firmly.

There was a beat.

And then, Kageyama's eyes widened.

…

It all suddenly made sense. After talking it over with Coach Ukai, it all made sense to Kageyama.

A toss that stopped, so Hinata could have an in-air advantage. Kageyama could do that. It was a simple enough request.

 _Hinata is scary good at blocking just by listening to the spiker's feet leaving the ground,_ mused Kageyama, _and he's made split-second decisions spiking himself, when he hears a blocker in front of him._

 _If I can pull off the "toss that stops," then maybe…_

 _...Maybe Hinata can fight in-air battles._

Anything was worth a try. Literally anything.

So he hurried back down the sidewalk towards Karasuno to practice.

...

 _So he's really blind_ , the former Coach Ukai thought, as he watched Hinata practice with his student setters and spikers. _Honestly, I had my doubts when Keishin explained the situation, but…_

Hinata jumped and spiked the ball tossed by one of the setters. "Nice one!" the setter told him, and Hinata beamed brighter than ever.

"One more!" Hinata said, racing back to the other side of the court.

 _...He's truly incredible,_ Ukai decided, still in awe. _Can he really hear the ball moving and judge where and when to spike?_

He laughed silently to himself and smiled.

 _Well, obviously he can._

 _And anyways...he definitely reminds me…_

Hinata ran, jumped, and spiked.

 _...of the Little Giant._

…

"Oy! Kageyama!"

Kageyama turned towards the sound of his name. It was late, and he was just leaving the club room to head home, so he didn't know who could have been calling him at the time…

Then, he realized he never should have wondered. After all, there was only one idiot Kageyama knew who had that tone of voice.

Hinata was racing towards him, his poor service dog running to try and keep up with his enthusiastic owner. Kageyama took a step backwards, and Hinata stopped just in time, though he came dangerously close to running into him.

Kageyama stared at him, confused. _This is the first time he's said anything to me since we fought…what? Is he still angry with me?_

Hinata looked up, beaming, and Kageyama's perplexity only intensified.

"Give me a toss!" Hinata said.

Kageyama blinked. "What?"

Then, five minutes later found the duo in the gym, Kags sitting on the sidelines to watch. Kageyama had grabbed a single ball from the storage room, and he stood at his usual court position. Hinata stood a little further back, to give him enough room for the starting run.

"Ready?" Kageyama offered, and Hinata nodded eagerly.

He ran, planted his feet, and jumped. Kageyama set the ball, and Hinata spiked it.

It was their usual quick attack. No new technique from Hinata, and Kageyama didn't attempt the new toss he was practicing.

Hinata hit the ground, staring at the other side of the court, where the ball had lanced. "...So," said Hinata, "that's our current quick, right?"

Kageyama nodded. "Yeah."

"...But we're both working on something new," Hinata said.

Kageyama nodded once more. "Yeah." He paused, suddenly remembering their argument. Not for the first time, he felt guilty, though he wouldn't admit it to anyone, least of all to Hinata.

But even so...no matter how stubborn Kageyama was...he had to say _something,_ or his conscience would never forgive him.

"Hinata, I-"

"I'm sorry for what I said," Hinata interrupted, shifting his weight awkwardly. "I don't really like saying it, but I'm sorry. I was just...mad."

"...Yeah, me too," Kageyama said.

"So let's move on," Hinata decided. "We'll keep working on what we're working on, you with your toss and me with my technique, and then at the training camp, we'll try it out for real. Deal?"

Kageyama blinked. Honestly, he was always surprised by Hinata's ability to forgive, but what else was new?

"...Deal," Kageyama answered with a firm nod. "Come this training camp, we'll do it. Our new and improved quick attack."

Hinata grinned, then paused, looking away again, seeming deep in thought. Kageyama stared at him, confused.

"...Hey, Kageyama?" Hinata asked. "Can I ask you something?"

"Um, sure," said Kageyama. "What's up?"

Hinata fiddled with the hem of his shirt for a moment or two before answering.

"How hard would it be...for you to teach me a jump serve?"

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Yeah I had Kageyama and Hinata make up sooner in this fic than they did in the anime, but also, a lot has changed between Kageyama and Hinata since the beginning of this fic and Kageyama has become much more protectice towards Hinata and Hinata relies on Kageyama so much more in this fic so fighting hurt both of them a whole lot more and they apologized sooner.**

 **So that's why.**

 **Well, that, and *cough cough* I didn't want to deal with it for very long *cough cough***

 **I'm telling you guys, writing is like, 2% actually writing, and 98% procrastinating. But these chapters are coming out a lot faster than before...though I can't promise to keep that up…**

 **ANYWAYS.**

 **So, as for the OMAKEs, they'll probably come pretty randomly. I really don't have a set "time" to release the OMAKEs. Like, in the outline I showed you guys a couple chapters ago, I had a certain "place" to put the OMAKEs between the usual chapters.**

 **Well, I actually...don't have a special "place" for the OMAKEs. They just come whenever I don't feel like writing the actual story line.**

 **So you can expect an OMAKE...literally whenever. And like I said, I'm always open to suggestions, so lay 'em on me! :D**

 **Oh, and remember that vote we took about Hinata's eyesight? Well...the final results are 10 for Hinata getting his sight back, and 5 for Hinata NOT getting his sight back, but I had a thought.**

 **You guys all brought up some amazing points to backup your vote, and a lot of you said what I was thinking. I originally wasn't going to give Hinata his sight back because I felt it would "cheapen" the plot, or kind of take away from the purpose of the story, which is having hope and never giving up no matter what.**

 **However, on the flip side, some of you guys also wanted Hinata to get his sight back** _ **because**_ **of all he went through, and honestly...I'm torn.**

 **So what I think I'm going to do, is write two endings: One ending where Hinata gets his sight back, and another ending where he doesn't.**

 **Since it all takes place somewhere in the future (like, Hinata will probably be 17 or 18 when it happens), it won't mess up the Haikyuu! timeline, so you guys can take whichever ending you want.**

 **Oh, and real quick: some of you were asking just** _ **how**_ **Hinata would get his sight back, and the answer is through a surgery. Not, like, an "eye-transplant" thing or anything like that. I'm doing my research (hopefully pretty thoroughly, too) and it would be through surgery, just so you all know.**

 **So that's that! :) My author's notes are always insanely long, I'm sorry. :( But anyways, here's the shout-outs, as usual! :)**

 **Here's to 3elizabeth, 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Aurora M Borialice, BlueMoonChaos, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, angiecrevansalamero, AnimeXD801, Bibi2002, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, Caleo Ignacium, CareBear0309, Dark Papercut, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, Hikari1994, horsegrl2000, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, ImpsDream, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Sebastian Michaeles, Saphirabrightscale, Slam'in Burst, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, TimeTurner394, tista93, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, meroku, MooseTalk, 3, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, nanigirl15, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, kaizyfordemwalt, XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX, ViolentOtaku, Kryste-Harte, allseer15, XxWinterFlowersxX, Cineka, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Secretariat1, Pandamons, Kelly185891, Amusingly Disturbed, Blujay2113, Icebabe87, AlyZoe, mindofmonsters, Fallenangel5342, MonochromeFeathers, Lawrian, TDarling14, AnimeManga1234, Shakyla, Masks of JM and JS, mektp98, Daggerandcloak1513, youonlyliveoncexx, Kryste-Harte, Celeste Zeballos, Rachelandes,** **Molnjess25,** **nuglife18** **,** **luna13lovegood** **,** **LindasWonderland, The Dark Crimson Blood, missfluffylove,** **and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And the reviewers:**

 **Sadie: Looks like you got your wish! :) And I'm glad you like the plan! We'll see how it goes! :)**

 **NamikhraKyra: Wow, I'm so glad you like the story! :D That's a bummer about your notification thing, though; I have similar problems, but with getting review/follower notifications. And as you saw from my above author's note, it looks like everyone's getting what they want when it comes to the ending. (And like I said, you guys all brought up such great points...I, too, love stories where despite everything, they don't give up or lose hope.) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Cardfighter By Maple: Awesome! *thumbs up* Thanks! :D**

 **Bluehawk4: Thanks! :D I'm glad you enjoy the story! :D Thanks for the review! :)**

 **eisu: Oh my GOSH, Aone is gonna go all super-ultra-protective of the precious little sunshine child. XD And everyone at the training camp is gonna be so stoked about Hinata's "blind spiking" and "blind receiving" and whatnot. Oh, I'm gonna have fun with this...XD Thanks for the review, and I'm glad you like the story! :D**

 **Guest (#1): Seems like I will. :)**

 **Kryste-Harte: Wow, that's quite the compliment! Thanks! I'm glad you enjoy the story so much! I feel like I really pour myself into my writing, so it's really great to hear how much you love it! :D You're welcome, and thank you for your encouraging review! :D**

 **RandomFujoshi: Wow, that's...a lot of turtles. XD I love turtles, but I've never had one. :( And thanks! I love the platonic Kageyama and Hinata, too (which is pretty obvious I guess considering that that's exactly what I'm writing XD). I'm glad you love the story! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **GuardianWitchDemiGhost: Thanks! I think Hinata definitely deserves it after all he's been through. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **ArchimedesAckermann: Hahahaha Saeko is incredible (can't say the same for her driving tho XD). I AM SO EXCITED ABOUT EVERYTHING THIS FIC HAS IN STORE! I can't wait to write it, so I'm glad everyone is excited about reading it! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Daggerandcloak1513: I know, right? I think my favorite thing so far is just how shocked everyone is when they see him spiking blind. XD (I'm sort of just kidding, but only sort of XD). And I love puns, too, so that's great! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Iris Patton: See, I updated on Tuesday, just for you! :D And you spelled Bokuto correctly! *thumbs up* (Unless I've been misspelling it this whole time...eh. XD) Thanks for the review(s)! :D**

 **TimeTurner394: That's seriously the first thing I thought when someone first opted the idea of bringing Hinata's sight back, but if you read my upper author's notes, you can see that I'm taking both routes, which is great because I couldn't decide which one to do. :) Haha, that's great! A real compliment, actually, the fact that you're as excited about this story as you are about the actual show...so thanks a bunch! :D**

 **mangageek3 (I had to take the periods off your name 'cause it wouldn't let me write it otherwise for some reason I'm sorry): I know, right? It's so hard to find brotherly Kageyama and Hinata nowadays...so I'm glad you like it! *high five* And you made an amazing point, thanks! :D And I'm really, really glad you like the story! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **NaturallyElv: Nice new name! *thumbs up* And thanks for telling me who you formerly were; I'm a scatterbrained dunderhead so even though it was pretty obvious it probably still would've flown right over my head. XD Haha, thanks! I love puns so much! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Zunifex: You're welcome! :) Yeah, Kageyama and Hinata are such amazing friends. :) Saeko is incredible. She needs more recognition. :D And I had so much fun with everyone's reactions. XD Oh, and to answer your question (in case you didn't see it earlier in this author's note), Hinata would get his sight back through surgery (not a transplant or anything, just a surgery). :D Thanks for the review, and for your vote! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: Yeah, puns will do that to people. XD**

 **QuestionablyCapableGhoul: I know, right? Hinata is amazing and precious at the same time and we love him. XD And you are very welcome! Writing this fic wouldn't be half as fun if it wasn't for all the readers like you, so thanks for reading and reviewing! :D**

 **m is for mochi: YOU ALL HAVE SUCH AMAZING POINTS TO BACK UP THE "SIGHT OR NO SIGHT" VOTE OH MY GOSH. 0_0 As you can see, my hands were tied, so I'm now writing two endings so everyone is happy. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **allseer15: I know I am going to have sO MUCH FUN WITH THE AOBA JOHSAI AND SHIRATORIZAWA MATCH! (My gosh I hope I spelled that right it's a mouthful :/) Hahaha, Bokuto...I'm gonna have a whole lot of fun with his and Hinata's interactions, too. :D You know what? I'm gonna have fun with this entire story. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **FanWriter02: You are NOT annoying Kat. Just Kat. :D So, it may be pretty obvious already, but Fire and Brimstone Part 2 is out, sooo...yeah but you already know this. XD**

 **Thank you all for your continued support! You are all beautiful people and I love you so much! :D Hopefully I see you all soon! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	16. OMAKE - A Group of Crows Is Called

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 *****SPECIFIC CHAPTER NOTE: It has come to my attention that no e-mail notifications were sent out in the last chapter (I would know, because I also receive an e-mail notification whenever I post a new chapter). So if this is your first time returning to this story since chapter 14 ("The Unintentional Show-Off"), chapter 15 ("The Brawl") is available to read. I just wanted to let everyone know in case you missed chapter 15, because it's a key chapter to the development of this story. Thank you all! Enjoy the chapter! :D*****

 **…**

Kageyama was pretty sure he'd never felt this proud before in his life.

On the court, in the middle of an intense game, with Hinata spiking his tosses, blind and all, keeping up his usual position as "middle blocker" and receiving some insane balls. Some of the receives were so insane that Nishinoya complimented him - something the expert libero only did for specifically _increible_ receives.

The gymnasium's overhead lights shined brightly as the two teams battled it out, the score currently 24-22 with Karasuno bringing up the rear. They were still in their first set, so even if they didn't get this set they still had a chance, but all the same, they were giving it their all, like they always did.

And Karasuno currently had the momentum. If they were going to turn this around, now was the best time to do it.

The audience was cheering, clapping and shouting loudly - for the Karasuno team.

"Look at that number ten! He's amazing!"

"Wait, isn't he blind?"

"Yeah, I think so! He's got a service dog on the bench!"

"Whoa! Seriously!? I thought it was just a joke!"

"No, he's really blind!"

"Then how is he doing it!?"

"...Whoa! Did you see what receive!? Holy crap!"

"Who _is_ that kid!?"

Kageyama was glad, and proud. After all Hinata went through, getting this kind of praise from onlookers was refreshing. And Kageyama could tell by the look on Hinata's face that the spiker was encouraged by it all.

It was getting increasingly obvious that the other team was getting real sick of having their butts handed to them by Hinata's spikes, receives and blocks. They were still in the first set, but they hadn't been able to block a single one of Hinata's spikes thus far, and they'd only managed to receive a handful thanks to the quick reflexes of their libero.

Kageyama didn't think much of it. He was glad Hinata's spikes were getting through; if they weren't, the psychological damage on Hinata would've huge.

Everything was smooth sailing so far, and Karasuno was so, so close to a turn-around.

But then, in one moment, everything went to hell.

One moment, Hinata was jumping beside Tsukishima to stop an impending spike from their opponent's ace, and the next moment, the ace swung his arm, hit the ball, and Hinata was suddenly on the floor, unmoving, with the ball dropping onto Karasuno's side of the court.

It all happened way too fast. Way, way, _way_ too fast.

There was a long beat of complete silence.

And then…

"HINATA!" The loud, collective shout broke the deafening silence, and team Karasuno charged forward, gathering in a circle around their fallen teammate. The crowds were gasping, and whispers flew back and forth through the gymnasium, which suddenly seemed very lively.

"What was that?"

"He's not getting up."

"Is he hurt?"

"What happened? Did he get hit in the face?"

"I don't know - it all happened too fast…"

That was the problem. The instant was there, and then it wasn't. Gone in a flash, like a passing shadow. No one knew what happened. No one - not even the referees.

But...looking up at the opposing team, at that one spiker who'd hit the ball last...Kageyama had his suspicions.

No, not just _suspicions_ \- even though he hadn't _seen_ it, he knew _exactly_ what happened.

This wasn't an accident.

 _This wasn't an accident_.

"Agh…"

He was broken from his thoughts by Hinata's groan, and the spiker sat up slowly and shakily, holding his head. He looked up, at the anxious faces of his teammates, and frowned, confused. "What just…?"

"Hinata." Daichi was the first to react, leaning forward and grabbing Hinata by the shoulders, staring into his eyes. "Do you know where you are?"

Kageyama could only watch, unable to move. This scene...it felt…

... _Somewhat familiar..._

"What…?" Hinata blinked, dazed, but he looked more confused by Daichi's question than anything. "We're at...gymnazium three, right? In a match."

"Do you know who you are? How old are you?" It was Nishinoya who spoke this time, and he knelt beside Daichi, looking at Hinata intently.

"Hinata Shoyo," Hinata answered instantly, but his voice was shaking, just slightly. "I-I'm fifteen."

 _His memory seems fine_ , Kageyama thought, but he still couldn't move. _He probably doesn't have a concussion, but…_

 _But...this all feels…_

 _...Way too familiar..._

Coach Ukai and Takeda were on the court now, and Daichi moved out of the way to let Takeda take his place kneeling in front of Hinata. "Hinata, you need to go to the infirmary," Takeda told him, holding Hinata's face and looking into his foggy eyes. "That fall looked serious."

"I'm fine!" Hinata protested instantly, pulling his hand away from his head. "I just-"

 _Drip_.

He blinked, and then looked down at his hand in shock. Takeda gasped, Nishinoya stumbled backwards, Ukai froze, and Tanaka whispered a low and quiet "Holy crap," though everyone still heard him.

Blood.

"What…?" Hinata said, still staring at the red on his hand. Kageyama stared, too, suddenly more shocked than before. There was a steady trickle of blood, dripping down the side of Hinata's face from a gash on his hairline.

Kageyama hadn't noticed it at first, but now, he didn't know how he'd missed it.

And suddenly, everything came crashing down around him. The sight of the blood opened the floodgates to the worst memory of his life.

 _...Blood…_

And he was suddenly back on the street in the dark, and there were people screaming for help, and Hinata was unconscious, and Kageyama couldn't move.

 _...What...what...blood…_

There was blood everywhere. There was too much. _Too much_.

 _I can't…_

 _...I can't breathe!..._

"...yama…"

 _Someone...do something...I can't..._

"...geyama…"

 _...I can't move..._

"Kageyama! Breathe!"

And suddenly it was over, and he was back in gymnazium three, and Sugawara was standing in front of him, hand on his shoulders, staring into his eyes with so much fear and panic it was almost unreal.

Kageyama stared back. It took him a few moments before he realized just how heavily he was breathing, and the fact that there was something running down his face. Something that was not sweat, but he'd lie and say it was.

"...W-What…" Okay, there was _no way_ that was his voice. It was so uncharacteristically shaky and _not him_ that it was terrifying. "W-What just...happened…"

"You were hyperventilating," said Sugawara, still holding Kageyama's shoulders almost painfully tight. "...It looked like a panic attack."

 _A panic...attack…?_ That didn't sound right, but it...it made sense.

"Sorry," Kageyama said, reaching up and wiping his eyes with the back of his hand. "I'm...I'm okay now."

"Are you sure?" Sugawara didn't look convinced.

Kageyama nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm sure…" He noticed the rest of his teammates staring at him, but that wasn't what he cared about at the moment. There was someone missing. Someone who had been there (and bleeding) just a few moments before. "Where's...where's Hinata?"

"Coach took him to the infirmary," said Sugawara. "It's not serious. He's okay."

Kageyama suddenly felt ashamed. _I freaked out...over nothing. Over nothing at all._

"It's okay, Kageyama," said Sugawara, and Kageyama could tell the older setter was no longer talking about Hinata. It was almost as though Sugawara had read Kageyama's mind. "Don't worry about it, it's okay."

Kageyama sucked in a deep breath, then nodded. He was sure that the panic would come back again, sometime soon, in fact; after all, it wasn't every day your teammate was flat-out _attacked_ by another team's ace.

But for now, the panic was pushed out of his head entirely by something else. Something stronger, that overwhelmed his senses and made his chest burn.

Anger.

And even that was an underestimate. Heck, even _downright furious_ was the biggest underestimate of the year. He looked up slowly, teeth clenched and hands balled into fists, staring into the cold, hard eyes of the opposing team's ace.

The ace...he looked…

 _Satisfied._

Kageyama's anger burned hotter than ever. His nails dug into his palms, and he was sure he would be drawing blood if he kept it up. The other team's ace jogged off to join the rest of his team at the bench with their coach, throwing Kageyama one last parting glance over his shoulder.

Another beat of silence passed through the gymnasium.

"I'm gonna kill him."

The words were out of Kageyama's mouth before he was even aware of himself speaking. A little startled by the low, threatening sound of his own voice, he turned towards his teammates. He half-expected Daichi to scold him, or Tanaka to tell him to relax - but no one said anything against him.

Actually...as he looked at each member in turn...they seemed to be _agreeing_ with him more than anything.

Tanaka reached over and patted him on the shoulder. "I'll hide the body," the spiker growled through his teeth.

Sugawara coughed softly into his fist, but it sounded suspiciously like "There's a shovel in the bus."

"You're right, Kageyama," Daichi said firmly with a nod. His face was stoic, but that was much scarier. "We aren't going to let them get away with this. You know what they call a group of crows, don't you?"

Nishinoya and Tanaka exchanged glances. Even Asahi, who was the most gentle of the group, looked ready to pummel someone to the ground. On the sidelines, Tsukishima was glaring hard at the other team's ace, and Sugawara looked ready to murder someone (he was actually cracking his knuckles).

Nishinoya, Tanaka, Asahi, and Kageyama nodded to their captain, and Daichi smirked - the most twisted, moronic smirk anyone had ever seen (and would ever see) from the third-year.

 _A group of crows,_ thought Kageyama, _is called…_

 _...a murder._

"Now," said Daichi, with more authority than ever, "let's make sure this team never forgets it."

The time-out between sets ended, Tsukishima was brought into the game in Hinata's place, and they began the second set.

"We're not going to let them take a point from us!" Daichi shouted, once everyone was in position on the court.

"Right!" the rest of the team hollered back, and their agreement was mutual. They were going to win and they were going to do it in the most unsportsmanlike way possible.

...

Kageyama had never used so many dumps before, and he'd never been so _aggressive_ with his dumps before, either. It didn't matter how many dumps he did; he would keep attacking until he had their guard up, and then, he would switch gears and let the Karasuno spikers do what they did best.

The opposing team had plenty of brawn, but they lacked brains, so they kept falling for moves like dumps and faints, which gave Kageyama an advantage. The other team's libero wasn't anything special, and all-around, the team wasn't good at receiving.

That, or the spikers of Karasuno were just putting more effort into it than usual (if that was even possible). Asahi was asserting himself more, asking Kageyama to toss to him in-between points and calling for the ball during the game. Tanaka spiked whatever Asahi didn't, each time with a hollar and a loud, taunting jeer.

Even though Tsukishima wasn't displaying high levels of enthusiasm, it was clear that he, too, was infuriated by the other team's action against Hinata. He used a ridiculous amount of feints - which the other team kept falling for - and he shut out more balls than usual with his blocks.

The air around Karasuno's best defenders had changed, too. Nishinoya never missed a receive, not even once, even going as far as to run and leap over the coach's bench in order to connect a stray ball. The balls Daichi received always went right where they were supposed to, and when he spiked, no one could hold a candle to him.

When Sugawara was brought onto the court as a pinch-server, there was an air about him that scared even his own team. He didn't make any jibes or jeers; he just smiled, straight at the opposing side, and for some reason that was even more unsettling. There was _something_ behind every smile he gave the other team that said, "Prepare to die a long, painful death," and the other team definitely got the message.

While the onlookers watching the match didn't feel the immense tension down on the court, they definitely noticed _something_ had changed. This much was evident through the numbers on the scoreboard.

"This...this is insane! Look at the scores!"

"Holy crap, _no way!"_

"Is this some kind of a joke!?"

"I don't know, but it'd better be, because this is just...this is just... _this doesn't just happen!"_

 _17-0,_ with Karasuno leading.

 _You lost your right to points a long time ago_ , Kageyama thought darkly, while Asahi served behind him (service ace, moving their points from seventeen to eighteen). _You don't get to score points anymore. Not now._

"We'll get the next one!" the libero of the other team shouted, but his voice wavered pathetically, so he might as well have gone ahead and said, "Aw crap, we're doomed!" because that's what everyone was thinking.

 _Get the next one?_ Kageyama glared murderously, getting into position. _Just try it. I dare you._

Asahi served again. This time, the ball was picked up, but it didn't last for long. When their ace went in to spike, Tsukishima was there in front of him, his block higher than ever.

The ace swung his arm.

The ball hit the block and ricocheted onto their own side of the court.

 _19-0._

Karasuno didn't cheer, though. They simply nodded to each other, like it was something that had to be done - like scoring points was a necessity, not a challenge.

Of course, some of their members were more verbal than others...

"TAKE THAT!" Tanaka shouted, fury evident in his voice and the effort he put into spiking the ball set for him. The ball slammed into the other side of the court before the other team even had the chance to react.

"That's what you get," Nishinoya began loudly, "for messing with my kohai!"

Kageyama wasn't the only one who realized their ace's spike against Hinata was anything but accidental. As far as he knew, everyone on the Karasuno team was aware of it, including Coach Ukai and Takeda.

Asahi served. It was received. The other team finally had the ball, but it didn't last long; Nishinoya received their attack with no problem whatsoever, even though the audience was awed by his quick response and perfect receive.

 _You won't get past me._ Nishinoya glared into the eyes of the team's server as Kageyama set the ball to Tsukishima, who feinted the ball right over the other team's three-person block. _Try it all you want. You're never getting the ball past me._

"It's funny how you keep falling for that," Tsukishima told the blockers, and then he walked away like it was nothing. The blockers only stared at him, mildly horrified - at the viciousness of their opponents or at their own stupidity, no one knew.

Not that it really mattered, anyway.

Tsukishima was always good at keeping things masked, but even now, his rage was starting to rise to the surface in the form of glares and aggressive spikes and feints. He was furious. Downright _furious_. He'd never admit it, of course, but despite his lack of tolerance for Hinata, he (as well as the rest of Karasuno) had begun to see the hyper ball of energy as sort of a little brother.

No one got to hurt him without having hell to pay.

"Tanaka," said Kageyama, beckoning said spiker over, and then he whispered, "the team's number seven is looking kind of cocky. It'd probably make him pretty upset if someone were to... _spike a ball right over his head_."

The grin on Tanaka's face could only be described as _evil_. "Leave it to me," said Tanaka proudly, and that was that. The game went on.

Karasuno took back the set five minutes later, with a crushing 25-0 as the final score. With that, they moved on to the third and final set with more vigor than ever - if that was even possible.

…

During the time-out in between the second and third sets, Coach Ukai reemerged, and he was instantly hounded by every single member of the Karasuno volleyball team. Their voices were raised, and they were all talking at once.

"Is Hinata okay!?"

"He was bleeding - why was he bleeding!?"

"Does he have a concussion!?"

"Is he alright!?"

"Alright, alright!" Ukai finally shouted, putting up his hands in defense, and to his surprise (and relief), everyone shut up instantly. "Hinata's fine," Ukai said, once everyone had calmed down. "There's no danger of a concussion, and he scraped his head against the ball when the ace spiked. That's where the blood came from."

The rest of the team breathed a loud, collective sigh.

"That's a relief," said Sugawara faintly, and everyone silently agreed. "We're lucky it wasn't worse…"

"He's still pretty shaken up, though," Ukai went on, "so just to be safe, I'm pulling him from the match. I'm sure you brats are more than capable of taking care of your opponents."

He said "taking care of your opponents", but with that tone of voice, he might as well have said "murdering your opponents." It went without saying, but he was just as angry - no, as _blatantly infuriated_ \- as the rest of Karasuno was.

"We'll take it from here," Daichi nodded. The whistle blew, and they were back in the game.

...

It was over almost as soon as it started, and the end score was 25-0 with Karasuno taking the game. There were pats on the back and a couple of "We showed you!"s from Tanaka and Nishinoya, and at the end of the game when the players shook hands, Kageyama was pretty sure Daichi squeezed the captain's hand harder than necessary.

It was a crushing defeat for the other team, and rightly so. They got what they deserved.

Now…

"Hey! You guys!"

Team Karasuno looked up. Running towards them with Yachi hot on his heels was Hinata, beaming brightly and waving both hands at his teammates. There was gauze wound around his head, but that was the only indication that he'd been hurt. Otherwise, he looked absolutely fine.

Nishinoya and Tanaka were the first to react, charging forward to meet Hinata half-way. "Shoyo!" the libero cheered. "You survived!" He raised his hands for a vicious high-five, and then softened it at the last second when he remembered Hinata's injury. As mild as Coach Ukai said it was, the libero was still shaken by it.

"Yep!" Hinata said, nodding firmly; the other members of the team quickly caught up with Nishinoya and Tanaka. "It was pretty freaky, actually, but I'm fine! No concussion or anything!"

"I swear, when you went down I lost ten years off my life," said Sugawara. "Please don't do that again."

"...Yeah...sorry," Hinata said, scratching the back of his head. "It's no big deal though, really! But, I guess it was pretty scary, for me too." He gave a shaky laugh. "Sorry for freaking you guys out."

He paused, glancing around. "Hey, Kageyama, you there? You haven't said anything yet."

"Oh, um…" Kageyama jumped slightly, not expecting Hinata to call him out. The setter rubber his forearm, at a loss of words. "I guess...when you went down, it...it just reminded me of...of when…"

For an instant, his mind flashed back.

" _Hinata!"_

" _No, Hinata! Please, keep your eyes open!"_

" _Someone get help!"_

" _No! Hinata!"_

Kageyama swallowed thickly. "...It was hard for me," he admitted, shifting his gaze downwards. He didn't like admitting it, but being so suddenly reminded of the accident was...terrifying. It terrified him. It was different than his nightmares. This was something that happened during his waking hours, when he could fully think about it.

It really _was_ like he was back there…

"Kageyama…?" Sugawara asked hesitantly.

"What?"

"You're...crying."

Kageyama jumped with a start, reaching up instinctively to touch his face. Oh, yeah...he _was_ crying...when'd _that_ start?

"C-Crap," he muttered, wiping furiously at his eyes. "S-Sorry, I…"

His teammates stared at him. Didn't say anything.

And then…

"Kageyama!"

Kageyama was suddenly glomped by Hinata, who hugged him tightly and didn't let go. "Aww, you _do_ care!" Hinata proclaimed.

"S-Shut up, stupid," Kageyama snapped, though he did it half-heartedly, and before he realized quite what he was doing, he was hugging Hinata back. It helped, really. It helped remind him that Hinata was fine, that he was okay, that he wasn't hurt any more.

"Hey!" Nishinoya objected, though he had a huge grin on his face. "I want in on the group hug, too!" He charged forward, calling "C'mon, Ryū!" over his shoulder.

The libero crashed into Hinata, and then, Tanaka crashed into him. Then came Yamaguchi, who somehow managed to drag Tsukishima into it, too, and then, within no time at all, it turned into a full-fledged group hug with the entire team and their managers.

Except…

"O-Oy! Wait, don't, we're gonna-!"

Kageyama's warning came just a second too late.

His feet shifted, he tripped, and suddenly, they were all on the floor in a heap.

And then, Nishinoya and Tanaka were laughing, and so was Sugawara, and Tsukishima was off to the sidelines (he'd jumped away just in time), and Kageyama was shouting half-hearted insults at Hinata, who was also laughing.

"Idiot! You stupid idiot, Hinata!"

"It's not my fault you're such a freaking softie!"

"I'll kill you!"

"No you won't!"

In reality, though, Kageyama was glad. The team was happy. Hinata was happy. Everything was as it should be.

…

Afterwards, while they were loading the bus ready to head back to their school, Daichi approached Nishinoya and Tanaka. Behind them a little ways away, Hinata and Kageyama were helping Kyoko and Yaichi, and Tsukishima and Yamaguchi were double-checking the lockers just in case they left anything behind.

"Tanaka, Nishinoya," Daichi called, and they raised their heads to look at their captain.

"What up?" asked Nishinoya.

"You know," said Daichi casually, "I overheard that the team we played earlier has another match in a couple hours, and if they want to get there in time, they have to leave in about ten minutes. Don't you think it'd be a _shame_ if they were to, oh, I don't know...end up with four flat tires on their bus?"

Tanaka and Nishinoya exchanged mischievous glances, and then turned back towards their captain, looking more fiendish than ever.

"Oh yes," said Nishinoya, nodding with mock seriousness. "What a _sad shame_ that would be."

Tanaka punched his balled fist into his open palm. "A horrible tragedy. Consider it done, Daichi."

"You can count on us," agreed Nishinoya, snapping his hand up in salute, and the duo scampered off.

Daichi watched them go, and as soon as they were out of sight, he turned back towards the rest of the team, now gathered around their bus.

"Jeez, it's cold out here…" Hinata muttered, pulling his jacket tighter around himself.

Kageyama frowned at him. "Would you like me to set you on fire?"

"WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS!?"

Daichi sighed. "Guess we don't have to worry about him being okay…" he muttered under his breath.

"He and Kageyama have been at it for a while now," Sugawara said, moving to stand beside Daichi, away from the arguing first-years.

Daichi sighed heavily. "Good grief...what am I going to do with them..."

Sugawara smiled faintly, then sighed and shook his head. "Even though they fight more than anybody else I know," he began, "Kageyama was seriously scared when Hinata went down." A shadow crossed over his face, and he glared. "That stupid ace...who does he think he is?"

Though he said it softly, there was an air about Sugawara that screamed _fury_ , fury towards the other team and especially towards the ace who'd hurt Hinata. If glares could kill, Sugawara could have been charged with murder.

Daichi looked at the setter, and then sighed. "...Okay, what did you do?" he asked knowingly.

Sugawara dropped his glare instantly and smiled (and it was _horrifying_ ). "Oil on their volleyball shoes," said Sugawara proudly. "They should be feeling it their next match."

Daichi nodded. He expected nothing less.

Sugawara was scary when he was angry. Probably scarier than anyone else on their team. It was that subtle kind of scary that gave you a deep feeling of dread and unease, like something would jump out of the shadows and attack you at any moment.

Daichi was just _really_ glad Sugawara was on their side.

Nishinoya and Tanaka returned just a few minutes later, looking very pleased with themselves ("It's just because we won the match," Nishinoya told Hinata when the latter asked why), and once everyone had clambered onto the bus, they were on their way back to Karasuno.

They didn't talk about the match again, or about what the ace did to Hinata, and Hinata was either too oblivious to realize he'd been practically attacked by the ace, or he just didn't care, which was fine, because no one was in the mood to think about the other team again, now or in a hundred years.

And if Hinata noticed Tanaka and Nishinoya following him on his way to school, or Tsukishima and Yamaguchi passing him in hallways more often ("Completely by coincidence, moron," Tsukishima snapped one day), or Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi keeping a close eye on whatever spikers Hinata blocked, or Kageyama spending more time around him than usual and always on-guard, like he was waiting for an attack at any moment, Hinata didn't mention it.

But considering it was Hinata, the most oblivious oblivious-er to have ever been oblivious, he probably didn't notice at all.

And if, later on, the same day Hinata was hurt, the other team had to postpone their match an hour due to four unexplainable flat tires (the spares were flat, too), and when they finally _did_ get to the match, they spent half the game slipping and sliding on their volleyball shoes, well…

...The Karasuno team would shrug and call it "a horrible case of bad luck."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So, this would be set during the Spring Tournament, and I obviously didn't specify which team hurt Hinata because I didn't really want to label any team as the "bad guy"...? So just pick whatever team you think most likely to hurt the precious cinnamon roll and we'll go from there. Or whatever.**

 **(BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW OKAY!?)**

 **So I know updates have been kinda rapid lately, but seriously my updating schedule is anyone's guess. Sometimes I'll update three to four times a week and sometimes once a month. I really have no clue. So expect the unexpected, 'kay?**

 **I...really don't have much else to say in this chapter, other than the usual "gimme your suggestions" (because the more the merrier right?). So I'll move straight onto the shout-outs. You know the drill. :)**

 **Here's to 3elizabeth, 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Aurora M Borialice, BlueMoonChaos, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, angiecrevansalamero, AnimeXD801, Bibi2002, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, Caleo Ignacium, CareBear0309, Dark Papercut, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, Hikari1994, horsegrl2000, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, ImpsDream, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva, LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Sebastian Michaeles, Saphirabrightscale, Slam'in Burst, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, TimeTurner394, tista93, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, meroku, MooseTalk, 3, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, nanigirl15, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, kaizyfordemwalt, XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX, ViolentOtaku, Kryste-Harte, allseer15, XxWinterFlowersxX, Cineka, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Secretariat1, Pandamons, Kelly185891, Amusingly Disturbed, Blujay2113, Icebabe87, AlyZoe, mindofmonsters, Fallenangel5342, MonochromeFeathers, Lawrian, TDarling14, AnimeManga1234, Shakyla, Masks of JM and JS, mektp98, Daggerandcloak1513, youonlyliveoncexx, Kryste-Harte, Celeste Zeballos, Rachelandes,** **Molnjess25,** **nuglife18** **,** **luna13lovegood** **,** **LindasWonderland, The Dark Crimson Blood, missfluffylove, leximay, Chocolate-pc, Scarlet Ruby Rose, sakura1896,** **and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And now for the reviewers! :D**

 **Chocolate-pc: Aww thanks! I'm glad you love the story! That's always good to hear! :D I know! I love the Karasuno team, so writing the dynamics between all the players is really awesome. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Sadie: Yes! *high five* Yay precious sunshine child! XD Did someone say...*breaks down a wall* *jumps out the window* *runs across the sidewalk* *dives underneath couch* ...HAMILTON!? XD I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE that musical! My mom was really into broadway growing up (and still is), so I know tons of musicals and whatnot, but Hamilton is by far my favorite. IT'S AMAZING! :D :D :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **happycookie2300: I KNOW RIGHT!? XD**

 **Iris Patton: You're welcome! *bows* XD Yeah, I know, poor Hinata. He could be totally fine and still have insecurities about everything. I'm planning on using all that in the future matches I write (specifically Karasuno vs. Johzenji and Karasuno vs. Wakutani). I'm not going to say much because spoilers, but I'll just say that the Karasuno vs. Aoba Johsai chapter is called "The Breakthrough" for a reason. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **PandaEyedSpectre: Hahaha! Well I'm sort of dishing out chapters a bit faster than usual so I'm glad everyone's enjoying it. XD Thank you very much! I'm glad to hear I covered the fight well in this AU! *thumbs up* Makes me happy! :D And yeah! I look forward to writing the different endings! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **CallofRanger13: Thank you very much! :D Hmm...that's something I hadn't thought about before. Izumi and Kouji are such supportive friends to the sunshine child (even tho they get little to no screen time) and I love them. The only problem is, because they get little screen time, I would seriously have no idea what to do with their characters...? I mean, I'd probably have to take a couple liberties with their personalities. But if no one minds that, then sure! I'll write a chapter! :D Thanks for the review and the suggestion! :D**

 **NaturallyElv: I know! Poor babies. :'( (And thanks for the review! :D)**

 **And that's that ladies and gentlemen! Thank you so much for your support and I'll see you all soon! :D**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	17. OMAKE - His Worst Nightmare

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

"Kageyama! Watch out!"

Hinata moved. He ran, and he reached out, charging straight into the glare of the quickly approaching headlights. He tried, he desperately, desperately tried, running with all his might to reach his friend.

But he didn't make it in time.

There was a horrible, _horrible_ sound - metal meeting flesh - and then everything was thrown into a swirl of red, screaming, and fear.

He hadn't made it.

 _He hadn't made it._

Hinata bolted upright, gasping for breath more desperately than if he'd just played a match. His mind was racing, and so was his heart, and he could feel copious amounts of sweat dripping down his face.

Everything was black. Dark. And it made sense. Because he was blind.

 _That's right. I'm still blind._

And for the first time, waking up to absolutely _nothing_ was a relief. For him, it meant that it _had_ been him who was hurt; the victim of the accident was _him_ , not Kageyama, not Sugawara, or Nishinoya, or anyone else. Him and him alone. His friends were okay. Kageyama was okay.

He dug the heels of his hands into his eyes, trying to calm himself down, but to no avail.

 _...I can't see anything when I'm awake,_ he thought bitterly. _So how come the only thing I see in my dreams is...is_ that?

He still saw in his dreams, sometimes. Not very often, but still. The last thing he ever saw...the _very last thing_ his eyes had ever beheld...was a brief glimpse of Kageyama's horrified eyes as Hinata shoved him out of danger.

It wasn't…

...It wasn't an image Hinata wanted to remember, but it was stuck there, engraved on his memory, and sometimes, it was the influence of many nightmares. Because he wondered, all too often, what it would be like if he _hadn't_ gotten there in time, if he _hadn't_ shoved Kageyama out of danger.

His mind was plagued with what-ifs. Constantly.

A weight suddenly dipped the bed, and Kags' collar jingled as the service animal leaned forward, nuzzling Hinata questioningly. At first, Hinata was a little startled, but just for a moment; an instant later, he surged forward and locked his arms tightly around the dog, burying his tear-streaked face against his fur.

Kags was a reminder. A reminder that Hinata _had_ made it in time, that the rest of his team (his _friends_ ) were safe, that Hinata was the only victim of the accident. And at the same time, the dog was also a great comfort. A precious, oh so precious gift from his friends, and Kags looked after him almost as much as they did.

When Kags was there, Hinata didn't feel nearly as alone. He felt as though a piece of his team was there with him, always.

But for some reason, despite the fact that he _knew_ his friends were safe and sound, he couldn't stop crying. His tears fell and dampened Kags' fur, and he just. Couldn't. _Stop_. He tried to take back his composure, really, he did, but he couldn't. He just couldn't.

He didn't know what time it was, but judging by how quiet the rest of his house was, it was in the middle of the night (Natsu and his mother were very early and rather noisy risers so he'd know if they were awake in an instant). He seriously doubted he'd be able to sleep again if he tried, not with a slideshow of his nightmare replaying over and over in his head.

He reached over blindly with one hand, his other arm still wrapped around Kags' desperately (the dog was now trying fruitlessly to lick Hinata's tears away), feeling around his desk until his fingers closed around his phone. He pulled it towards him, flipped it open, then paused.

It was the middle of the night. A school night, to boot. No one would be awake, and Hinata would feel really, really bad if he woke anyone.

 _No, I don't want to do that…_

And yet he found himself dialing Kageyama's number anyway. Really, he couldn't help it. His hands were shaking so badly it was a miracle he'd managed to dial the number _at all_ , and the back of his throat burned, cold sweat plastering his clothes to his skin.

He had to know. His brain knew the truth, but his heart feared a lie.

He had to know. He had to know. He had to-

" _What the…? Idiot, what're you doin' up this late?"_

Kageyama's voice was thick, and he still sounded half-asleep, but there was no mistaking it now. Kageyama was alive, and finally, Hinata allowed himself to breathe freely again.

It made sense, and of course the logical side of Hinata _knew_ that Kageyama was okay, but having it confirmed by the setter's voice made all the difference in the world.

"N-Nothing," Hinata said, his voice still shaking despite his relief. "S-Sorry, I'll hang up now-"

" _Oka - wait a minute! Oy! Don't brush me off like that, stupid!"_ Kageyama snapped. _Now_ he sounded awake, and anger had replaced confusion. Hinata heard him take a deep breath, and when he spoke next, he was a lot calmer than before. _"I know something's wrong. I'm not an idiot. You wouldn't call me like this otherwise."_

Hinata swallowed. He really, _really_ didn't want to talk anymore. "E-Er, c-can we talk later? I-I don't really want to talk right now…"

" _No."_

"W-Why not?

" _Because now is when you're calling. So, erm..."_ There was a pause, and Hinata sighed. Kageyama was still as socially inept as ever. _"...What's bothering you?"_

Hinata swallowed thickly. "It's...it's stupid," he muttered.

" _What?"_

"I said it's stupid," repeated Hinata, more clearly this time. "You'll laugh at me."

" _Idiot, have I ever laughed at you before?"_

"...No."

" _Correct. That hasn't changed. Seriously, I promise I won't laugh at you."_

That still didn't change the fact that Hinata thought it was ridiculous. It was embarrassing, really, that he'd gotten worked up over something so _stupid_ as a _nightmare_. That his hands were _still_ shaking, and the tears were _still_ falling, and he was still so _scared_ , _because his nightmare could have easily been reality._

Hinata didn't want to talk about it anymore, not really, and he especially didn't want Kageyama to think he was pathetic (though he probably already thought that by now). Hanging up would be the best option.

" _...Hinata."_

Kageyama was talking again.

" _...You know you can talk to me about anything...right?"_

Hinata's mind went blank. He didn't know why he was so surprised by this; Kageyama had always made himself available if Hinata needed someone to talk to, but hearing him _say it_ so sincerely…

...It was a whole other thing. Kageyama was already bad at the whole "being thoughtful and compassionate" thing, and the fact that he was trying to be kind to Hinata...it was a big deal. It meant a whole lot more than Hinata thought anyone realized.

"I...I had a bad dream," Hinata finally admitted. "T-There. I said it." He gave a small, choked, humorless laugh. "I-I said it was stupid, right?"

There was a beat.

" _No, it's not stupid, Hinata. If it scares you, it's...it's not stupid."_

And that was it. The composure Hinata had been steadily rebuilding now crumbled like it never existed.

"K-Kageyama, I-I c-couldn't do _anything_ ," he sobbed, his chest suddenly feeling way too tight, "a-and...a-and..Kageyama, it...i-it was _horrible_ , y-you were...y-you were…a-and I _c-couldn't_ d-do _anything_ , a-and—"

" _Hinata. Breathe."_

Kageyama's voice was steady and firm, and Hinata listened to it, taking in a deep, shuddering breath. He felt vaguely like he was being strangled, and in an instant, he realized why Kageyama was suddenly so serious.

 _Right. He doesn't want me having another panic attack._

Hinata was grateful, and for the very first time, he was glad Kageyama could read him so well, even without seeing him. He didn't want to _have_ another panic attack, either, and he appreciated Kageyama's level-headedness during times like this.

(This was probably one of the very few times the setter was level-headed _at all_.)

" _Better now?"_

"I-I think so," Hinata said, nodding feverishly though Kageyama couldn't see him. His service dog was now curled against his chest, and Hinata ran his fingers through the dog's thick fur. "S-Sorry, I was...I was just—"

" _What the heck're you apologizing for? It's not your fault, moron."_

"I-I know, I just…"

" _Listen, nightmares...they're just nightmares, alright?"_ Kageyama said, in a voice that left no room for argument. _"I'm not saying they're not scary or anything, because they are, but they're not real, got that?"_

Hinata nodded, then added a quiet, "Okay," when he remembered Kageyama couldn't see him.

" _So, you gonna go to sleep now, or, what?"_ Kageyama interrogated, not harshly but not exactly softly, either.

"Err, I don't know," Hinata admitted. Sleeping? He didn't really think he'd be able to do that, not after his vivid nightmare. "I'll...I'll probably stay up—"

" _You should sleep. It's barely…"_ There was a moment, in which Hinata imagined Kageyama looking at a clock. _"...It's barely one o'clock."_

Hinata swallowed, but he seriously doubted he'd be able to win an argument with Kageyama, so he decided to quit while he was ahead. "O-Okay, I...I guess I'll try," Hinata agreed quietly. "B-But, Kageyama…"

" _Yeah?"_

"Would you mind...staying on the phone until I fall asleep?"

There was a brief pause, in which Hinata thought back to the words he'd just said and regretted them instantly.

It was barely one in the morning, as Kageyama had said, and it was a school night (or, day, but...whatever). Kageyama didn't have time to stay up, especially since Hinata didn't think he'd be getting to sleep any time soon.

So, he backtracked.

"W-wait, nevermind, nevermind, that's r-really selfish of me, I'm sorry—"

" _Hinata…"_

"J-Just go to bed, I'll see you at Karasuno tomorrow—"

" _Idiot, hold on a sec—"_

"G-Goodnight, Kageyama—"

" _IDIOT! JUST SHUT UP AND LISTEN TO ME FOR A SECOND!"_

Hinata snapped his mouth shut with an audible _click_. If Kageyama was angry with him now, Hinata certainly didn't want to do anything to make him angrier. He'd be digging his own grave.

" _I'll stay on the phone with you, alright!?"_ Kageyama said. _"Sheesh, it's not even a big deal! Stop being an idiot, idiot!"_

"...That's...harsh…" But Kageyama had agreed to Hinata's request, and anyways, the setter called him "idiot" a little too often for him to be bothered by it anymore. He knew Kageyama didn't really mean it in the end, anyways.

"...And I'm pretty sure you just called me an idiot, like, five times in a row…" Hinata murmured quietly.

" _Yeah yeah yeah, whatever, just go to bed, alright?"_

"Okay. Erm, thanks, Kageyama..."

" _Don't thank me. It's not like I did anything special. Next time you have a bad dream, don't be dumb about it, alright? Just call me up and tell me what's going on instead of making me pry it out of you. Deal?"_

Hinata smiled faintly, and nodded. "Deal."

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I AM SO SORRY ABOUT ALL THESE OMAKES I'M JUST REALLY STRUGGLING WITH THE FREAKING TRAINING CAMP CHAPTER WHICH MAKES NO SENSE AT ALL BECAUSE I KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A LOT OF FUN I'M JUST HAVING PROBLEMS WITH IT** _ **GAH**_ **.**

 **But at least the omakes are still new chapters, right?**

 **Oh, and I have a question: are you guys okay with the omakes? Or would you rather I stopped posting them and just stuck to the "timeline"? The omakes really focus more on Hinata and the team adjusting to Hinata's handicap whereas the other chapters focus on what actually happens in the show. I have a lot of ideas for omakes, so I could post them while I'm working on the Training Camp chapter, or I could just not post anything and then do the Training Camp chapter in another couple of weeks.**

 **Let me know which one you want in the review section below! *points***

 **(P.S. "Omake" is the Japanese word for "bonus" or "extra" just in case anyone was wondering.)**

 **In the training camp chapter, I'll probably only really be focusing on Kageyama and Hinata during the training camp arc (since the story's really about them), with honorable mentions of Nishinoya's setting, Asahi's jump serve, the synchronized attack, and Tsukki's development. Don't worry, though, we'll be focusing on Hinata and Bokuto a lot, too, including the "new move" Bokuto taught him.**

 **...Actually it's pretty much just gonna be Hinata and Bokuto now that I think about it, because Bokuto would totally just adopt Hinata as his smol precious crow brother who must be protected. Bokuto has officially joined the Hinata Protection Squad.**

 **Anyways, shout-outs! :D And we officially hit over 100 favorites! :D :D :D Yay! :D :D :D**

 **Here's to 3elizabeth, 7thScythe, 27aquarrow72, 1-10 were taken, Aurora M Borialice, BlueMoonChaos, Ancient Glory, AnimeWolf56, ArchimedesAckermann, angiecrevansalamero, AnimeXD801, Bibi2002, BlueThief, Bluehawk4, CallofRanger13, Cardfighter By Maple, CrystalSeker, Caleo Ignacium, CareBear0309, Dark Papercut, DemigodBooks, Dutchess Frost, Entity Rose, ErinGreen, GAARA12223, GuardianWitchDemiGhost, Hizuri Kyouko, HalfwayParanoid, HarryPotterObsessed44, Helafina, Hikari1994, horsegrl2000, InsanityOwl, Iris Patton, ItsHoodButItsGood, ImpsDream, KisunaFuji, KyoRina97, Lexihenning12, Lilithsleeps15, LostSilva,** **LucarioLilySH, NPham1, NKelley756, Olorin69, RandomFujoshi, Reyna di Angelo, Sebastian Michaeles, Saphirabrightscale, Slam'in Burst, TarantulaLove, Turtles18, tsukasa913, TimeTurner394, tista93, Yami no Ookami, ayyyrahh, kpoplover456, Meiyo12, Monki91, mangageek3, m is for mochi, meroku, MooseTalk, mangageek3, pantherlilly17, plomieniefeniksa, MysteryElv, Nona-96, nanigirl15, RepeatingSimplePhrases, reveal13, Yukio4, happycookie2300, kaizyfordemwalt, XxYesterdayTodayTomorrowxX, ViolentOtaku, Kryste-Harte, allseer15, XxWinterFlowersxX, Cineka, QuestionablyCapableGhoul, Secretariat1, Pandamons, Kelly185891, Amusingly Disturbed, Blujay2113, Icebabe87, AlyZoe, mindofmonsters, Fallenangel5342, MonochromeFeathers, Lawrian, TDarling14, AnimeManga1234, Shakyla, Masks of JM and JS, mektp98, Daggerandcloak1513, youonlyliveoncexx, Kryste-Harte, Celeste Zeballos, Rachelandes,** **Molnjess25,** **nuglife18** **,** **luna13lovegood** **,** **LindasWonderland, The Dark Crimson Blood, missfluffylove, leximay, Chocolate-pc, Scarlet Ruby Rose, sakura1896, serena-pearl05, TheBookRider, orange0511rab, Tenshi Gureibusu, BankaiTensa, Natsume1111, AnimeandDragonfan54, OneHalfOtaku, Keeper404, Luciane Fernandes, 4shl3y, SaffireJ2, angiecrevansalamero,** **and monkey76! Thanks for all your continued support! If I missed any names, let me know! :)**

 **And to the reviewers:**

 **RepeatingSimplePhrases: Hahahaha well we know Kageyama won't actually do that by now, but yeah, mildly concerned, Kageyama. XD Thanks for the review!**

 **mangageek3 (had to take out the periods again sorry): Hehehehe, that's interesting; I didn't even get the update notifications and I'm the author, sooo...I'm glad somebody got one! XD I'm so glad you love the story! That makes me so happy! :D You know, I've actually considered having Hinata meet the Little Giant sometime later on in this story, probably after the Shiratorizawa match (gosh I hope I spelled that right I still misspell it sometimes XD). And thanks for the suggestion with wording ("underestimate")! :D And thanks for the review! :D**

 **PandaEyedSpectre: Oh, I know. They all need hugs. :'( Thanks for the review! :D**

 **AnimeandDragonfan54: Haikyuu is amazing! And hahaha, yeah; I like to warn everybody ahead of time, 'cause the story can kinda be depressing sometimes...but I try to make it lighthearted, tho. :) And I'm glad you agree with the "alternate endings" idea! :D Thanks for the review! (And the moment I saw your username I kinda figured you liked HTTYD. :P)**

 **CallofRanger13: You're welcome! And thanks! :) Oh, that's a way better idea, actually, just making up some imaginary "villain" team. I know, I get it, too; I love all the teams. I've never really wanted them to beat Karasuno because I love Karasuno the most, but I still really love the other teams. :) Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Dutchess Frost: Thanks so much! Yeah, personally, last chapter was probably one of my favorites to write, too. Gotta love the Hinata Protection Squad. XD Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Sadie: Yeah, I love Hamilton! :D If I'm completely honest, I don't really ship anybody...? I know that's probably not the answer you wanted, but, yeah, I don't ship them. I just really like the music. XD Thanks for the review! :)**

 **Cardfighter By Maple: No one hurts the precious sunshine child without having to answer to the rest of Karasuno! Go team! :D Thanks for the review! :D**

 **LucarioLilySH: Hahaha, wow. XD Thanks for the review!**

 **allseer15: Hmm...insurance doesn't cover three slashed tires? I'll have to save that for future reference. Oh my gosh, that's hilarious. Like, imagine Kageyama just telling another team, "Oy, don't mess with Hinata or you'll regret it" and the other team is just like "Hahaha yeah right" and mess with Hinata anyway, and Hinata just fighTS BACK IN THE MOST UNDERHAND AND SAVAGE WAY EVER AND THE OTHER TEAM IS JUST SO HORRIFIED BECAUSE WHAT THE HECK THIS KID IS TERRIFYING and later on Kageyama just passes them again and is like, "I told you not to mess with him." XD That's...that's hilarious. I think I'm going to have to use that later. XD AND THEY ALL NEED HUGS! HUG EVERYBODY! Yeah, I try to focus on everybody, because not only Hinata was effected by the accident. I love this team so much they need to be protected. :( Thanks for the review! :D**

 **Alright, I think that's everybody! Thank you all! And don't forget to let me know whether or not to continue writing omakes! :) See you all next time!**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	18. OMAKE - Ten and Eleven

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

Tsukishima already didn't like the substitute teacher.

Even though he was only here for the day, while the regular teacher was at home with a cold, Tsukishima already never wanted to see him again.

He didn't like substitute teachers to begin with, if he was completely honest. They didn't know the class or what the students were currently working on and spent most of the day just reviewing basic things.

But _this_ substitute teacher...he definitely took the cake.

He was a small, stingy man with just about the most horrible, most pessimistic, most _condescending_ personality in the entire world. He surveyed his class skeptically while twisting the end of his brown mustache, his eyes falling on the empty desk just a little bit away from Tsukishima's.

Hinata's desk, Tsukishima realized. Well, it wasn't a big surprise. Hinata was often late to class. He had just been released from the hospital recently and was just starting to return to school (however he was still banned from club activities by his doctor). He didn't often make it to class right on time.

"Hmm...I see...erm…" The teacher peered at a piece of crumpled note paper on his desk, on which were written the names of the students in the class, "...Hinata isn't here yet?" He leaned back with a low hum that grated Tsukishima's nerves. "Guess I have no choice but to mark the flunker as tardy—"

At that very instant, Hinata barrelled into the classroom with no warning, his service dog Kags panting almost as badly as his master. The teacher jumped, but the students didn't budge; they were used to Hinata barging in the classroom a couple minutes late.

"I'm sorry," Hinata panted. "I'm...late...I'm sorry...my dog's...still getting used...to the school grounds, so...it takes...a little longer...sorry…"

The teacher looked absolutely _beside_ himself, a combination of horror, shock, and utter _fury_ on his face. "How _dare_ you!?" the teacher snapped loudly, and Hinata's head shot up. The nearby students jumped in their seats. "Coming in here late, trying to make excuses...!"

Hinata finished catching his breath and straightened up, looking a mixture of scared and confused. "...I don't...recognize your voice," Hinata said slowly. "Who are you...?"

By the tone of his voice, he was merely talking to himself, but the teacher still heard it and was outraged. He gasped and fumbled with his speech for a moment or two, seeming unable to grasp this.

"Who am _I!?"_ the teacher fumed, getting up from his seat and storming over. Hinata backed away at the sound of his pounding footsteps. "I have a nametag right _here_ , brat! What are you, blind!?"

Hinata jumped and cringed, and so did Tsukishima. _What is this guy, an idiot?_ Tsukishima wondered.

Hinata, meanwhile, looked just as confused and shocked. "A-Actually," he tried, "s-sir, I—"

"This kind of behavior is unacceptable!" the teacher yelled, jabbing a finger at Hinata's face. Hinata felt the wind and took a step backwards. "Now you're talking back to your teacher!? The _nerve!"_

Hinata swallowed hard, and his blind, misty eyes shimmered.

Tsukishima's fury flared. Sure, he already hated the teacher enough, but this...this was just taking it too far. It was obvious. It was just _so. Downright._ _Obvious_ that Hinata was blind—the kid had a _service dog with him_ , with certified nametags and harnesses and everything.

 _This teacher...he doesn't care_ , Tsukishima realized. _Oh, I see. He's one of_ those _teachers. He doesn't care about us. He just wants to make our lives living hell._

"I-I'm sorry," Hinata was still trying to plead his case, though it fell on deaf ears, "b-but, I r-really couldn't...I c-couldn't get here on t-time…"

"There you go again with your back talking!" the teacher snapped. Kags growled lowly, and Hinata tightened his grip on the animal's harness.

It was a good thing Kageyama wasn't here (Kageyama, as well as Yamaguchi, had both caught their regular teacher's cold and were home sick), or he probably would have already punched this guy's _lights_ out. As it was, Tsukishima could barely stand it.

No, check that. He _couldn't_ stand it.

"I want to see you after school," the teacher told Hinata, "at the principal's office. As far as I'm concerned, you'll be there for the remainder of the day."

Hinata's face fell even further. "I...I c-can't," he said. "I...I have to see my doctor after school…"

That made sense. Hinata was only just returning to school since getting out of the hospital and he had an appointment every other day with his primary doctor to make sure there weren't any delayed complications.

The teacher threw up his hands. "Trying to get out of trouble now, are you!?" he said harshly, and Hinata shrunk backwards. "In that case, if you _'can't'_ come after class _today_ , I'll have you stay after school an extra _three_ _hours_ every day for the next month."

Tsukishima grit his teeth. _He's taking it too far. He's taking it way, way, way too far_.

Hinata blinked, his expression full of hurt and fear, and this time, tears rolled down his face. "I...I…"

"You brought this on yourself," the teacher snarled. "Now take your seat."

Hinata swallowed thickly, his hands shaking. "Y-Yes, sir…"

"And quit your crying, brat."

Tsukishima suddenly snapped. He couldn't take it any longer.

He slammed his hands on the desk and rose to his feet, being none too subtle, either. He did it obviously and loudly, to draw everyone's attention. And draw his attention he _did_ ; in no time at all, all the students and the teacher were looking at him. Hinata jumped at first, but then turned in that direction.

"What is _wrong_ with you?" Tsukishima demanded, well aware that he was violating so, _so_ many rules right now—talking back to an elder being the biggest one. "He's _blind_. It's not his fault his service dog doesn't know the route to the class yet."

Hinata blinked twice. "T-Tsukishima…" he stuttered, disbelieving.

Tsukishima ignored him, staring the teacher down. He and Hinata had never gotten along in the first place, but this...this was wrong. It was totally _wrong_ , and Tsukishima wouldn't stand for it any longer. Honestly, he didn't know why he hadn't spoken up sooner.

"Watch it, glasses," the teacher told him, pointing a finger threateningly—of course, it didn't faze Tsukishima one bit. "You don't want to join your classmate in the principal's office, do you?"

Tsukishima didn't say anything else. He had his mind set up and anyways, he knew nothing he said now would make the teacher any more agreeable.

Besides, the teacher had already crossed the line. Tsukishima didn't plan on forgiving him anytime soon.

So, Tsukishima strode forward between the desks until he reached Hinata's side. "Come on, Hinata," Tsukishima said, ignoring the dumbfounded look of the teacher and the confused looks of his classmates. "We're leaving."

Hinata blinked at him again, and then nodded shakily. Tsukishima put a hand on one of his shoulders and turned, heading towards the classroom's door.

"H-H-Hey! You can't leave!" the teacher yelled at them. "Brats, get back here! I'm your teacher! I have control here! If you walk out that door, I swear you'll regret it!"

Tsukishima paused, and then looked back at the man over his shoulder.

"You literally just brought _your_ student and _my_ friend to tears with your incompetence and stupidity," Tsukishima said lowly. "Words from someone like _that_ mean absolutely nothing to me."

With that, Tsukishima resumed walking, pushing the door open and leading Hinata away.

When the door shut behind him, the rest of the fellow students in the classroom applaud. And he wasn't sure, but he thought he heard one kid shout, "Man, sick burn! You go, Tsukishima!"

Tsukishima ignored him, though he was inwardly glad the rest of the class seemed to be on his side. Maybe, with their eye witness report, they could fire that stupid teacher once and for all.

"T-Thanks, Tsukishima," Hinata said quietly.

"No," said Tsukishima. "Don't thank me, alright?"

Hinata nodded shakily. "...Am I really your friend?" he asked after a moment.

Tsukishima paused. When he'd said that, he hadn't really thought much about it. "...Yeah, sure, I guess," said Tsukishima, "but we're just barely past being acquaintances, deal?"

Hinata nodded again, less shakier this time. "Okay."

...

It became a thing of legend, and the students of the first year classroom gossiped with the other students who hadn't been there the day the "quiet, stingy kid threw down some sick burns on the crappy substitute teacher."

So when Kageyama returned to school a few days later, it was no surprise that he already knew exactly what had transpired.

He stormed up to Tsukishima in the hallway one day, his feet stomping, his hands balled into tight, white-knuckled fists at his sides. He stopped just in front of the blocker and stared him down. "TSUKISHIMA," the setter thundered. "WHERE'S THE TEACHER!? I SWEAR WHEN I FIND HIM I'M GONNA—"

"Keep your crown on, King," Tsukishima said. "Your temper never ceases to amaze me."

"WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?"

"The substitute teacher was fired the same day he got here," said Tsukishima, breezing over Kageyama's demand. At the switch back to the original subject, Kageyama calmed down considerably to listen. "I took Hinata to another teacher to tell her what _really_ happened before the substitute made up some stupid story to put Hinata in bad light. She was on our side instantly, and she talked to the principal. That teacher's never coming back to the school again."

Kageyama sighed heavily. "As long as he's gone," Kageyama said. "Where's Hinata?"

Tsukishima shrugged. "Sugawara said his mom kept him home today, but that's all I know."

Kageyama nodded firmly. "Alright," he said, and he continued down the hallway to his class. Tsukishima continued in the opposite direction for the same reason—but it wasn't long before Kageyama's voice stopped him.

"Tsukishima!"

Tsukishima turned. "What do you want?" he questioned.

Kageyama looked down and shifted his weight, suddenly uncomfortable. "Th...Th...Th-Thank you," he said, stumbling over his words. He probably wasn't used to saying them, least of all to Tsukishima. "For standing up for Hinata, I-I mean."

"Yeah," said Tsukishima, "but please don't mention it. Getting a thanks from you is really, really weird. Being grateful's not really your thing, is it?"

Kageyama growled, but didn't argue.

Tsukishima sighed. "Just let me know if you find any other idiot substitute teachers, alright?" he said. "We'll deal with them."

Kageyama blinked, and then nodded. "Yeah."

Tsukishima and Kageyama didn't agree on very many things, but their duty to protect Hinata was mutual.

...

 **BONUS: Passing Notes**

Kageyama had learned Braille a while back for Hinata's sake. Granted, he wasn't nearly as good as the spiker yet, but he was learning, and he was learning it remarkably fast. He hoped that, if he could read it well enough, he'd be able to help Hinata master it, too, and they could practice on each other and both learn the language better.

Kageyama had bought a couple packs of sticky, 3D Pop-Dots a while back, and sometimes during math class, when the teacher turned her back to write on the blackboard, Kageyama crafted a note in Braille using the Pop-Dots and tossed it over to Hinata's desk nearby. Hinata would open the note, read it, and then write his own note on a different piece of paper and send it back.

His handwriting was awful, but Kageyama was pretty used to crappy handwriting (as his own handwriting was nothing to be proud of), so he didn't mind, and anyways, he'd gotten pretty used to reading Hinata's handwriting by now.

Today was one of those "boring" math days. Kageyama tried to focus, really, he did, but then he got so focused on focusing that he _still_ couldn't focus on what the teacher was saying.

So he subtly pulled out his Pop-Dots, wrote a note in Braille and, when the teacher turned her back, tossed it to Hinata's desk.

Hinata jumped slightly; although the sound the note made against the desk was little to none, Hinata could hear it incredibly well with his heightened senses. He took the note, opened it, and felt the dots to read it.

 _What is she talking about?_

Hinata took his pencil and another piece of paper and wrote his response to Kageyama. He couldn't toss it to Kageyama's desk very accurately, but he tossed it well enough, so Kageyama could catch it before it hit the floor.

Kageyama unfolded the note and read the response. Sloppy yes, but not unreadable.

 _Dunno. Something bout finding a dotted line on a checkerboard, or something._

Kageyama tossed over his Pop-Dot response a couple minutes later. He still wasn't very good at Braille, so it took him time to write his replies.

 _It's called a graph, not a checkerboard, idiot._

Hinata took a couple moments to answer himself.

 _I can't believe you wasted extra time just to add "idiot" at the end of the sentence._

 _I can't believe_ you _wasted time just to be a jerk about me wasting time to call you "idiot," idiot._

 _Is calling me an idiot twice redundant?_

 _What does that even mean?_

 _I don't know, Tsukishima said it once._

 _Since when do you listen to people?_

 _Okay, low blow._

Kageyama was just passing his smashing reply to Hinata, when he realized, with a start, that the teacher was no longer speaking. He looked up, curious—just to see her staring straight at him.

Their math teacher was stern. _Really_ stern. Stern to the point of being a dictator, actually (which was a lot coming from Kageyama). She hated— _absolutely hated—_ when she saw her students passing notes in her class.

She stormed over, her heels clicking against the classroom, until she reached Kageyama's desk. "Give it here," she told him, holding out her hand expectantly.

Kageyama handed over the note instantly, and she pivoted and headed back to her desk. The teacher would, if she ever caught students passing notes, take whatever notes she snatched and read it in front of the entire class.

Her point was to humiliate the students into never passing notes again.

She stood in front of the class, made sure everyone was looking (Hinata was staring off into space, uninterested), and then unfolded Kageyama's note.

She stopped. Her threatening, intimidating demeanor suddenly deflated, and she looked up, locking eyes with Kageyama.

Kageyama didn't say anything. _I hope you like Pop-Dots_ , he thought, not necessarily _angry_ , just more...fascinated. After all, the teacher looked so dumbstruck that it was almost comedic, and she _never_ looked dumbstruck.

Slowly, she folded the note again, strode down the aisle, and handed it to Kageyama. "You can take this back," she said, and Kageyama did.

The teacher never bothered stopping them again after that.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Hey guys! Sorry for the shorter chapter and for taking sO FREAKING LONG TO UPDATE I AM SO SO SO SO SO SORRY FOR MAKING YOU ALL WAIT.**

 **And if this chapter seems "crappy," erm...that's because of my health issues. I'm sorry. :(**

 **So, I have to warn you guys ahead of time: this is probably going to be my last update throughout the month of June. I'm behind in school because of some health issues, and I'm going to try and get that resolved, and I'm going to start taking on some editing/transcribing jobs over the summer (hopefully), so my schedule's going to be pretty hectic. And I've got some upcoming doctor appointments that I can't miss.**

 **So I'm going to be taking a break for a little while and returning probably mid July, or something like that. I promise I'm not quitting; I just really feel like I need a break.**

 **When I get back, I'm going to post an omake centered around Hinata and Natsu, and then training camp chapter )which you guys have been waiting forever for I'm sorry).**

 **And I'm also really, really sorry, but I don't think I can do any shout-outs this chapter. I barely got around to writing and editing it, and even though I love you all so so so so so much, if I wanted to write out all the shout-outs it'd take...another couple weeks probably, and I didn't want to make you guys wait that long.**

 **But YOU ARE ALL SUCH BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE AND I LOVE YOU SO MUCH AND I WAS REALLY REALLY SHOCKED BY ALL THE FEEDBACK I GOT LAST CHAPTER SO THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU** _ **THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH**_ **YOU MAKE WRITING THROUGH THE PAIN WORTH IT.**

 **I LOVE YOU GUYS AND I AM SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING FOR A WHILE/LEAVING UNTIL JULY/AND FOR NO SHOUT-OUTS. I AM SO SORRY. I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH AND I'LL SEE YOU ALL IN JULY! :)**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


	19. OMAKE - The Best Nii-san

*****Inspired vaguely by a piece of fanart*****

 *****WARNING: This story contains high levels of angst. Please proceed with caution.*****

 **…**

Hinata got a new bruise every day.

He'd only been home from the hospital for a couple days, and the house which he'd grown up in was now a new, mysterious place. He bumped into tables and chairs too often for comfort; he'd taken a dive down the staircase once on accident; he didn't know where the walls were, which became problematic really quickly.

His entire house was like a minefield. He didn't think he'd ever get used to it.

He spent most of his time sleeping off the pain medications his doctor had prescribed, and after the first time he tripped and tumbled down the stairs, he and his mother had decided it would be best if he slept on the couch until he was a bit more used to his surroundings. That was okay. Hinata didn't mind it.

He just wished things could go back to the way they used to be.

There was nothing he could do on his own anymore. Not unless he wanted to bash into the wall and end up with another bruise (which he didn't). He relied on his family, and he didn't like it. He didn't like _having_ to rely on them. He felt like he was wasting their time.

After all, they had lives and stuff they had to get done. His little sister had school, and his mom worked; or, she _used_ to work, before she took time off to look after Hinata after the accident.

Hinata didn't like it one bit.

He spent most his days sleeping, and when he wasn't doing that, he just...did nothing. There really wasn't anything interesting he wanted to do. Normally he'd go outside and play volleyball against the side of the house or something, but he didn't even know if he'd be able to _play_ volleyball anymore. He hadn't touched a volleyball since he was hospitalized.

There really...wasn't anything for him to do. There was nothing he _wanted_ to do that he'd actually be _able_ to do.

Not anymore.

…

"Nii-san, what does 'blind' mean?"

Hinata sucked in a sharp breath, biting his lip. He and his little sister Natsu were sitting on the couch in the living room, one of Natsu's favorite TV shows playing in the background. Their mother had stepped outside for a business call, so they were alone.

Hinata swallowed thickly. He couldn't see it, but he could feel Natsu's eyes bearing into him. She was curious. Just plainly curious, and there was nothing wrong with that, but...but he wasn't ready to answer the question. She didn't know that being _asked_ that question felt like salt in a wound.

But he didn't say any of that. "If someone's blind, it means...it means they can't see," Hinata said slowly, keeping up his best "cheerful" tone of voice although he was sure he did a poor job of it. He could already feel his facade cracking.

"Is that what happened to you, Nii-san?" Natsu's voice, small and curious, now sounded concerned and questioning. Hinata swallowed again.

"...Yeah, Natsu," Hinata said. "That's what happened to me."

"...Don't worry, Nii-san!" said Natsu suddenly, making Hinata jump. He heard her stand up on the couch dutifully. "You'll be able to see again soon, won't you? You don't have to be sad!"

No. _No_. He wasn't ready to accept this. He didn't want to tell Natsu the truth, because...saying it himself...it would _force_ him to accept reality. If he spoke it, if he actually _said the words_ , he wouldn't be able to keep pretending that this was some kind of mistake. That this was some kind of dream or hallucination.

But he also couldn't let Natsu keep living with a false sense of hope. No. He was her big brother; it was his job to look after her. He wasn't going to let her keep believing a lie, not when it meant the truth would crush her even more when she finally realized it.

"Natsu..."

The doctor's words flashed back in his mind: _"I'm terribly sorry to be the one to tell you this, but...your visual cortex, a section in the occipital lobe of the brain, sustained serious damage. I'm sorry, but…"_

"...I'll never be able to see again."

He'd said it. He'd said it, and he hadn't wanted to say it, but he'd gone and said it anyway. He didn't speak again after that, waiting for Natsu to take this in.

It didn't come quickly, but when it did…

"What!?" Natsu shrieked, leaping on him and shaking his shoulder. "Nii-san, what do you mean? You're joking, aren't you? You _can't_ never see again! How can you play volleyball if you can't see?"

That dealt the deathblow.

Hinata shot to his feet, turned, and bolted out of the room before Natsu could see him crying.

…

Hinata didn't really know how he did it, but he'd managed to get up the stairs and into his own room. It was probably the only place he felt completely alone, especially since he couldn't see when other people were in the room with him.

He face planted his bed to muffle his sobs, trying (and failing) to get ahold of himself. This was stupid. It was so. Freaking. _Stupid_. He didn't know why, but everything was just suddenly so _wrong_ for him. He felt physically and mentally out of _everything_ , and his emotions were all over the place. He didn't even know what to _feel_ anymore.

He didn't know if he was angry, frustrated, sad, or a combination of all three. He just felt so…

...So lost. And alone.

His phone, sitting on the side table beside his bed, suddenly rang. He swallowed thickly, sat up, and grabbed it blindly. He didn't know who the caller was, so he just flipped it open and accepted the call. "Y-Yes?" " _Hey, Shōyō, it's your awesome senpai!"_

"Oh, N-Nishinoya…" Hinata used his free hand to rub furiously at his eyes, hoping his tears weren't evident in his voice. "W-What are you calling for?"

 _"It's a senpai's job to look after his precious juniors!"_ Nishinoya answered, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. _"That, and...well…"_ The tone of his voice dropped considerably, _"...I've been worried. Haven't seen you since you were discharged, so I thought I'd see how you were doing."_

"Oh, erm...I'm fine," Hinata lied.

" _...Well...if you ever need someone to talk to,"_ said Nishinoya, _"you've got a whole bunch of people on stand-by. The entire team's pretty worried. So, if you need help, we're here, okay?"_

"Okay." He didn't want them to worry. He didn't want to burden them.

" _Alright. Well, I'll talk to you later, Shōyō!"_

"You too, Nishinoya-senpai…"

 _Click_.

Hinata lowered his phone, closed it, and wiped at his eyes again. He appreciated Nishinoya calling to check on him, but...at the same time...it reminded him yet again that this was indeed reality.

He really _was_ blind, and nothing would change that.

There was a knock at his locked bedroom door, and Hinata jumped, not expecting it.

"Dinner's almost ready, Shōyō," his mother's voice said, muffled slightly by the door between her and Hinata.

"...Thanks," Hinata said quietly. "I'll...I'll be down in a little bit."

(But he never was.)

…

He slept in his own room that night, and then when he nearly killed himself trying to get down the stairs (again), he decided he'd officially move to the couch until he could maneuver himself around the house a little better.

"Nii-san, I'm going to help you not bump into the tables anymore!" Natsu proclaimed that afternoon. Hinata couldn't see her, but he imagined her with her hands on her hips, ready for action (it was a pose she struck up often).

"...Okay," said Hinata.

"So, you spend most the time on the couch, right?" said Natsu. "So what I'm going to do is help you count how many steps it takes to get to each room!"

Hinata blinked. "That...might work."

"Mm-hmm!" Natsu grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet before he could protest. "Now, if you go that way," she started walking, pulling him along, "it takes...three, four, five, six...seven steps before you hit the staircase!" Natsu said proudly. "It takes ten of mine, but seven of yours! Don't forget it! And then if you go _this_ way from the couch...one, two, three, four..."

They spent the remainder of the day counting how many steps it took to get around the house, including where each coffee table was so Hinata could avoid them.

Natsu had always been a person of action, and he was proud of her.

…

It was hardest at night, when his family was sleeping and Hinata was left alone with only his thoughts, which were _not_ very good company. For the most part, he tossed and turned, trying to sleep and just being unable to do so. He hoped that, whenever he closed his eyes, he'd open them up to something other than darkness.

But he was wrong every time.

He never felt more alone than he did at night. The house was silent, which made his own thoughts even louder and harder to ignore. In fact, he downright hated the silence, because it gave him plenty of time to think to himself, which was _not_ what he needed.

Just when he considered getting up and doing _something_ else ( _anything_ would have been better than lying awake at this point), he heard a door open and close, followed by the sound of soft, tiny feet against the floor.

And then, something was poked his shoulder repeatedly.

"Nii-san, scoot over."

Natsu. He'd known it was her from the get-go.

"What?" he asked, confused, and she finally stopped poking him.

"Scoot over, Nii-san," Natsu repeated. This time, Hinata did what she'd said, and a moment later, Natsu climbed onto the couch and laid down beside him.

"What are you doing, Natsu?" he asked her.

"I'm going to stay with you tonight," said Natsu firmly. "Mom told me that you get sad sometimes, and that's why you lock yourself in your room, but when I'm sad I don't like being by myself, so I thought you don't either. So I'm staying here."

Hinata didn't know why, but hearing that from his little sister just...broke him.

Not in a bad sense, either.

Tears dripped down his face, and he raised a hand, trying to brush them away. He didn't...no, he _couldn't_ let Natsu see him crying. He was supposed to be her big brother, he was supposed to _protect her_ and look after her, not the other way around. He didn't want her to see him…

...Like _this_.

But he couldn't stop his tears. Try as he might, his willpower just...wasn't there. He'd lost all sense of fight a long time ago, and that hadn't changed.

Natsu wrapped her arms around his waist suddenly and hugged him tight, tighter than she'd ever hugged him before. "It's okay, Nii-san," she told him. "Crying's not wrong. You're still the best Nii-san in the world."

Hinata choked on a sob, then hugged her back equally tight. He'd been afraid of looking weak in front of his little sister, because he'd always wanted to be strong for her, but it turned out, he didn't always need to be. He wasn't invincible, and he didn't have to pretend he was.

"I love you, Nii-san," Natsu told him firmly, in a voice that left no room for objections.

Hinata released a shaky breath, squeezing her tight. "I-I love you, t-too, Natsu…"

She nodded, then closed her eyes, never once releasing her hold on him. For a moment, Hinata felt ridiculous. He was supposed to be her big brother, and here she was comforting _him._

"Thanks...Natsu…" he murmured.

She didn't answer; she was already sleeping. Hinata closed his eyes and took in a deep, shuddering breath, drowsiness beginning to overwhelm him.

He fell asleep, a sudden weight having lifted from his shoulders.

* * *

 **Author's Notes:**

 **So I'm back! :) I know it's been a while! Sorry, guys! I didn't mean it, I promise! I really love all you guys, and you all were so nice and encouraging the last chapter (and every chapter for that matter) and awww, I love you guys so much. *hugs for everyone***

 **So, finally we get the training camp chapter! Next up! :D I can't promise an official "release date" for the chapter, since I'm still dealing with migraines/doctor trips/whatnot, but it'll be out sooner than this one. :)**

 **Again, thanks so much for all your support on this story! I really do love you guys! :) Since it's been a while, I'm just gonna leave this here and cover the shout-outs in the next chapter, because you guys definitely deserve it! :D Until next time! :D**

 **(P.S., I'm still editing this chapter, so it's probably not perfect, but I'll catch everything eventually! :D)**

 **Cheers!**

 **-BeyondTheClouds777**


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